Pablo Sam immigrated to New Bedford, MA from Guatemala in 2004 and works at Bergie’s Seafood Inc. He started as a fish cutter and over the last couple of years has become a machine operator and a mechanic for 50 percent of the machines at his location. Pablo enjoys his work and plans on becoming a more efficient mechanic for the company.

Pantaleón Tono Tono, an experienced welder, originally from Guatemala, as part of the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center (NBFHC) oral history project "Casting a Wider Net.” Pantaleón was born in Aguilix in the village of Chujuyub, municipality of Santa Cruz del Quiché, Quiché department, Guatemala. Pantaleón recounts his difficult life path, from a childhood marked by poverty and limited education.

Patricia Galdamez is from El Salvador and is the team leader of the frozen fish line at a large fish processing plant in New Bedford. She enjoys her job and working with the various fresh and frozen fish products.  

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Trish DiCienzo was born in Brockton, Massachusetts in the year 1963, the oldest of four kids. She married at age 18 and moved out to Boston for 22 years then moved to West Roxbury, Massachusetts where she worked in the police department. Later, she moved to Lakeville so she could work at a processing plant in New Bedford. Shortly afterward she was asked to transfer to Maritime Terminal where she works today.

In this interview, Paul Anthony gives a rich description of the fuel delivery industry on the New Bedford waterfront. He discusses the process of fueling a fishing boat, how payment works, fluctuations in fuel pricing, and the relationships between dockworkers.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Paul Lemieux is 60 years old, a third-generation French-Canadian who grew up in the New Bedford area and attended the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational High School [Voc] where he learned welding. He started his own business, Blue Fleet Welding Services, in 1984 and has been working on the New Bedford waterfront in this capacity for 33 years.

Peter Heleen, fifty-six years old, has been involved in the fishing and shipping industry since he was a teenager. A graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, he worked for a variety of companies, including C.E. Beckman Company, a marine supply company, until 2013, when he became the yards purchasing manager for the Fairhaven Shipyard. He discusses his early years in the industry, the challenges of the job, his relationships with vendors and how the industry has changed over the years, particularly in terms of inventory management.

Petter and his wife Sharon own Harbor Hydraulics in Fairhaven, which he started with his brother some years ago. Petter graduated from New Bedford Vocational school, worked fishing with his father-in-law for a while, then at Scandia propellers, and eventually opened his own shop doing both installations and the business end of the paperwork. Sharon does the computer work and their son works in the shop and doing installations on the boats.

Phillip Mello describes his duties as a general manager at Bergies Seafood in New Bedford, MA, including auctions, transportation, fish cutting, sales, deliveries and networking. He joined Tichon Seafood in 1980 and continues to be active throughout the Fairhaven/New Bedford Harbor. Mello enjoys photography and documenting the fishing community. Changes in weather and fishing regulations have altered prices, catches and the economy of the fishing industry.

In this interview Richard Gallagher, an electrical engineer at Chris Electronics in New Bedford, MA, shares his work history, discusses various electrical components of boats, details his daily work, and explains the relationships with customers, fishermen, and between co-workers at Chris Electronics.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.