Rosemarie Denn
The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project
The Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project is an ongoing oral history project documenting the history and culture of the commercial fishing industry and other port trades. The project was begun in 2004 in conjunction with the Working Waterfront Festival, an annual, education 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/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
Rosemarie Denn is a female co-owner of a fishing supply business, Cape Fisherman's Supply, located in Chatham, Massachusetts. She was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and has a European American ethnic background. Her connection to the fishing industry began with her grandfather, who hailed from a fishing village in Newfoundland. As a child, she spent her summers in Rhode Island, engaging in beach activities and quahoging. She moved to Chatham to be with her husband, who worked at the Chatham Fish Pier. In the early seventies, her husband started longlining, a type of fishing that involves setting out thousands of hooks a day. Despite the demanding nature of the fishing industry, Rosemarie and her husband managed to make a living through various jobs, including working at the town hall, shucking scallops on weekends, and quahoging.
Scope and Content Note
The interview with Rosemarie Denn, conducted by Janice Gadaire Fleuriel on September 22, 2007, provides a detailed account of Denn's life and experiences in the fishing industry. The interview took place at the New Bedford Harbormaster House during the Working Waterfront Festival. The discussion covers a range of topics, including Denn's early life, her introduction to the fishing industry through her husband, and her experiences living in a close-knit fishing community in Chatham, Massachusetts in the early seventies. Denn shares her experiences of working in various roles to support her family, including working at the town hall, shucking scallops, and quahoging. She also discusses the challenges and demands of the fishing industry, particularly the long hours her husband spent longlining. The interview also touches on the local phenomenon of bay scalloping, the process of shucking scallops, and the camaraderie among the community members involved in these activities. Towards the end of the interview, Denn expresses her views on the changes in Chatham, the impact of regulations on the fishing industry, and the importance of recognizing the role of women in the industry. She also highlights the emotional toll that the fishing industry can take on fishermen and their families.
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