The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Laura Orleans, Kirsten Bendiksen
  • The Working Waterfront Festival Community  Documentation Project is an ongoing oral history project documenting the history and culture of the commercial fishing industry and other port trades. The project was begun in 2004 in conjunction with the Working Waterfront Festival, an annual, education 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/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.

Interviewee Collection Sort descending Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Lou Legace The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Lou Legace is a 54-year-old male of French heritage who was born and raised in Fall River, Massachusetts. He attended Durfee High School and briefly studied Civil Engineering at the University of Massachuestts in Amherst before deciding to pursue a career in fishing. Lou started his fishing career as a deckhand on a small clam boat owned by friends. He developed a passion for clamming and eventually became a captain himself. Currently, Lou owns his own boat and primarily focuses on paperwork and managing the business side of clamming, while occasionally going out to sea.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Howard Nickerson The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Howard Nickerson, a former fisherman and union organizer, was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, on September 14, 1912. Nickerson grew up in Wareham and graduated from a vocational school. Despite his father's work in the electric light company, Nickerson pursued a career in the fishery industry. During the Great Depression, when jobs were scarce, he found work as an usher at the State Theatre in New Bedford. Eventually, he transitioned to working in the engine room of fishing vessels, primarily engaged in sea scalloping.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Chris Rodriques The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Chris Rodriques worked in several New Bedford fish houses during the 1970s and 1980s and saw the changes in that sector as a result of the strike and the loss of the fish house workers union. She was born and raised in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Chris grew up in a family with a background in various professions, including grocery store ownership and pharmacy work. Chris herself initially pursued a career in the telephone company and other odd jobs, but eventually found employment in the New Bedford fish houses during the 1970s and 1980s.

Markham Starr New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Wayne Whalen The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Wayne Whalen is a seasoned professional in the fishing industry, with a lifelong involvement that spans various roles including fisherman, lumper, and machinist. Born in Philadelphia, PA, Whalen currently resides in Cape May, NJ, where he operates a metal fabricating business. His connection to the fishing industry was established through his family, particularly his cousins who were commercial fishermen. Whalen's work has often intersected with the fishing industry, as he has frequently contributed his metalwork skills to the maintenance and repair of commercial boats.

Markham Starr New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Reidar Bendiksen The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Reidar Bendiksen is a Norwegian immigrant who moved to the United States at the age of sixteen. Born into a fishing family, he began his fishing career in Norway at the age of fourteen. His father, who was also a fisherman, immigrated to the U.S. in 1951 and owned several fishing vessels in New Bedford. Reidar followed in his father's footsteps, spending his first five to six years in the U.S. fishing on a sub chaser that saw action in Normandy during the invasion.

Madeleine Hall-Arber New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Richard and Ray Canastra The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Richard and Raymond Canastra are American brothers who co-founded the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They are known for their involvement in the commercial fishing industry, particularly in the scallop trade. The Canastra brothers were born and raised in New Bedford, a city with a rich history in the fishing industry. In 1994, they established the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction, which quickly became one of the largest seafood auctions on the East Coast of the United States.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Kristin Decas The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Kristin Decas served as the Executive Director of the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission (NBHDC). However, please note that there may have been changes in personnel or positions since then. Kristin Decas is an experienced executive in the maritime industry with a background in port management and economic development. She has held leadership positions in several ports across the United States and has been recognized for her contributions to the maritime sector.

Millie Rahn New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Dick Grachek The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Dick Grachek, born on November 11, 1944, in Queens, New York, is a seasoned commercial fisherman with a deep-rooted passion for the sea. Despite not coming from a fishing family, Grachek's love for the ocean was instilled in him by his grandfather, who owned a fish store in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and had a stand in the Fulton Fish Market. Growing up on the south shore of Long Island, Grachek was exposed to the cycles of fish and the intricacies of marine life from a young age.

Madeleine Hall-Arber New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Mathieu and Paul Lemieux The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

The father and son duo, Paul and Mathieu Lemieux, have run the successful New Bedford, MA shoreside business, Blue Fleet, for over twenty years. Throughout their lifetimes working with the fishing industry, the two have drawn upon their optimistic outlooks, values of respect, and continual adaptability for support and strength within a frequently changing and challenging industry. Paul Lemieux is a seasoned shoreside business owner and operator hailing from the coastal town of New Bedford, Massachusetts. He is the founder of Blue Fleet Welding.

Madeleine Hall-Arber New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival
Paul Nosworthy The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project

Paul Nosworthy, a retired shoreside business owner from Fairhaven, Massachusetts, possesses a wealth of maritime knowledge and experience. His career began with boat repairs and sailing on tall ships like Westward, Pride of Baltimore, and Clearwater. With a foundation in diesel mechanics, he established New England Marine Engineering, specializing in industrial refrigeration and electrical repairs for New Bedford's fishing fleet. 

Marilyn Belmore New Bedford, MA Working Waterfront Festival