Angela Sanfilippo
The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project
This project documents the history and culture of the commercial fishing industry and other port trades. The project began in 2004 in conjunction with the Working Waterfront Festival, an annual, educational celebration of commercial fishing culture which takes place in New Bedford, MA. Interviewees have included a wide range of individuals connected to the commercial fishing industry and/or other aspects of the port through work or familial ties. While the majority of interviewees are from the port of New Bedford, the project has also documented numerous individuals from other ports around the country. Folklorist and Festival Director Laura Orleans and Community Scholar and Associate Director Kirsten Bendiksen are project leaders. The original recordings reside at the National Council for the Traditional Arts in Maryland with listening copies housed at the Festival's New Bedford office.
Janice Gadaire Fleuriel
On September 22, 2007 Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Angela Sanfilippo as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Angela shares memories from her childhood in Porticello, where fishing was a central part of Angela's life, and she learned valuable skills from her grandfather, including fishing methods and weather patterns. She describes her move and transition to Gloucester, MA, and her involvement in Gloucester Fishermen’s Wives. Angela's contributions to the Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association, including her presidency, highlight her dedication to addressing issues like regulations and the environment. Angela discusses challenges faced by fishing communities, such as foreign factory trawls affecting fish stocks. She emphasizes women's importance in supporting the fishing industry and underscores her commitment to sustainability and ocean resource protection, saying, “We, as fishing people—we are not just here to make a living. We are here to preserve an industry, to preserve the ocean, to preserve a natural resource that the whole country benefits from. We’ve paid a high price for doing that.”
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