Howard Nickerson
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.
Azure Dee Westwood
On September 23, 2005, Millie Rahn interviewed Howard Nickerson as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Howard recounts his early life, his transition from vocational school to working in the fishery industry, and the challenges faced during the Great Depression. He discusses his work as an engineer on fishing vessels, primarily involved in sea scalloping, and his involvement with the fishermen's union and his role as a union representative. He played a pivotal role in organizing and strengthening New Bedford’s fishermen's union, securing favorable contracts for its members, and made efforts to improve their working conditions and rights. In addition to his union work, Howard was engaged in the political and community life of New Bedford. He served on various committees and was appointed as a fisheries advisor and consultant by Congressman Hastings Keith. Nickerson shares details of his extensive knowledge of maritime and fisheries affairs, including labor, production, processing, and organizational structures at the local, state, and federal levels.
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