Jack Saunders is an 80-year-old male who was born in 1927 to a Newfoundland fishing family. He is the owner of Pier Oil in New Bedford. Saunders' father owned a couple of boats, one of which was requisitioned by the government during World War II and lost at sea. Saunders began working on the docks at the age of fourteen, lumping during the summer while attending high school [3]. After graduating, he served in the U.S. Navy and then fished with his father for five years. He later worked for his brother's oil tanker business and eventually started his own business.

Jaqueline Rua has worked at Norpel for four years and has ambitions to be in management. She describes working conditions, learning English on the job and changes that have occurred in the four years on the job. She has a vast knowledge of types of fish and the packing process. She also trains Spanish speakers who are hired as temps during peak seasons.

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.

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.

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.

Jim Mercer is a 47 year old diver on the New Bedford/Fairhaven waterfront.  In this interview, he enthusiastically describes his job, how he became a commercial fishing boat diver, and why he enjoys his job and the waterfront community so much.  He speaks about the importance of having a diver’s assessment on the bottom of a commercial fishing boat and the process of doing an assessment.  He describes the dangerous nature of the job and the satisfaction he receives from working in the New Bedford/Fairhaven fishing community.

Jim Dwyer and Paul Swain are seasoned veterans of the fishing industry, residing in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Their extensive experience and deep knowledge of the industry, its history, and its community make them valuable sources of information. 

Paul Swain is a retired auctioneer, lumper, and government worker who has spent his entire life associated with the fishing industry. His father was a fisherman from Newfoundland, and Swain followed in his footsteps, working in various roles on the waterfront. He spent 40 years with the National Marine Fisheries Service before retiring 10 years ago. Swain has held a variety of jobs on the waterfront, including painting, lumping, icing, and working for the Federal government. Jim Dwyer is a lumper and the head of the Lumper's Union.

Jimmy Dwyer has been a lumper in New Bedford since 1960. He talks about his work as a lumper, his connection with a vessel lost at sea, his very short fishing career, and the nicknames of those on the New Bedford waterfront.

James William Lawler, born on February 26, 1960, in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, is a seasoned fisherman and owner of a shipyard. Raised in a small fishing village called Renews, about sixty miles south of St. John's. Lawler comes from a long line of fishermen, with his family's involvement in the industry spanning several generations. His early years were spent fishing for cod from small, open boats, a practice that was later replaced by crab fishing in the mid-80s.

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.