Donna Goodwin
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 Donna Goodwin as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Donna comes from a long line of fishermen: her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all in the industry. At the age of seven, her father taught her how to splice three-strand ropes, which she was later able to make her profession working for New England Ropes and starting her own business, the Splice Girls. Competition from China has cut into her business, but Donna notes that she still receives many custom orders, including from sports teams like the New England Patriots. Donna also shares childhood memories, including of Hurricane Carol, which destroyed her family’s home in Sconticut Neck. Despite this, Donna always had a love of the water.
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