Andrew Arnett, 26 years old at the time of the interview, is a captain of Jonah crab and scallop boats in New Bedford, MA. He has been fishing since age 16 and running boats since age 22. As one of the youngest captains in the fleet, he sees himself as one of a select few who are keeping fishing heritage alive.

Scope and Content Note

Jaime Rivera was born in Puerto Rico in 1989. He came to New Bedford in 2006 and found a job at Norpel in 2007. He describes working his way up from packer to nightshift supervisor. He speaks about learning to work on new equipment, temporary and permanent workers, and that his work is not easy but he likes all of it.

Luckas Smith, a 24-year-old male, has grown up around the fishing industry. He grew up in New Bedford, went to New Bedford Vocational School and recently graduated from Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He has worked as a wire splicer for his family’s business, Northeast Trawl, since he was about fifteen years old.  He explains the technique of splicing, the various tools, equipment, and the winch truck used for splicing.  Lastly, he discusses his view of the waterfront community and his pride in his role in the seafood industry.

Sebastian Ayala is a forty-three year old foreman at the Norpel plant in New Bedford.  He has been working at the Norpel plant for almost fifteen years, working his way up to a foreman position. In this interview Sebastian describes coming to New Bedford from El Salvador and his work at Norpel, including various positions in the factory as well as safety concerns.

Jay Hall spent 25 years working in the medical gas industry and now works for New Bedford Welding Supply, which supplies compressed gas to fishing vessels in the New Bedford - Fairhaven shipping industry.  He discusses his professional background, the different types of welding supplies and gas mixtures that New Bedford Welding Supply provides to the fishing industry, the process of filling a tank, the training provided to employees, specialty equipment, and potential dangers in the work environment.

Maria Gomez is from Guatemala and skins, cleans and packs fish at Bergie’s Seafood in New Bedford, MA. She has worked at the company for 15 years and her husband is also an employee.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Tomas Calil is from Guatemala and is a supervisor at Bergie’s Seafood.  He has been working at Bergie’s for 15 years and knows all aspects of production at the plant.

This oral history was produced in 2017 as part of the Workers on the Waterfront Oral History Project conducted by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center with funding from an Archie Green Fellowship provided by the Library of Congress.

Alexander Chavis, a twenty-seven-year-old male, is a dedicated worker at Bergie’s Seafood in New Bedford. Originally from El Salvador, Chavis moved to the United States when he was sixteen years old in search of better opportunities. Prior to his move, he assisted his mother in her small restaurant business and had aspirations of becoming a teacher. However, the high cost of university education in El Salvador led him to seek opportunities elsewhere. Upon his arrival in the U.S., Chavis was helped by friends and family in New Bedford to secure his first job in fish packing.

James Lopes, fifty-six years old, has been involved in the fishing industry since he was a teenager. He began his career as a ‘Night Rider,’ then had his own business, Ocean Obsession, Ltd, and currently works for Norpel as a production manager. He discusses the rewards and challenges of working on the waterfront, a typical day at Norpel,  the “cast of characters” he has worked with throughout the years, and the changes he has seen in the industry and the New Bedford area over the years.

Mariana Moreno is from Guatemala and has been working at Bergie’s seafood since age 16. She has learned all of the job duties at the plant including jobs typically reserved for men like hand cutting fish. She discusses adjusting her family budget to fluctuating work hours. She was recently promoted at Bergie’s and is always eager to learn more and take on more responsibilities in the workplace.