Dave and Pat Densmore
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 Fleurie
On September 27, 2008, Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Dave and Pat Densmore as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Dave describes his childhood growing up on the Kodiak and Aleutian Islands in Alaska, remarking that he has always been called to the water. He began working on boats at the age of 12, running skiff on his father’s boat, and taking on more responsibilities at a young age. Pat shares details of her farming background and her adjustment to work at sea. They discuss life at sea, the dangerous and extreme conditions they face, and their fun adventures over the years. Both Dave and Pat express themselves through writing. Dave writes poetry, and during the interview he recites his “first poem of any consequence,” “Greenhorn.” Pat writes short stories chronicling their experiences living in remote and isolated areas, like a defunct cannery on Kodiak, and times on the ocean. Dave discusses the effects of regulations and the need for solidarity among fishermen and a greater public awareness of the economic impacts fishermen were facing.
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