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.

James Bramante, a seasoned fisherman, is deeply rooted in the fishing tradition, following in the footsteps of his grandfather and father. Throughout his career, Bramante has witnessed significant transformations within the sector, including the encroachment of foreign fleets and the imposition of government regulations, which have shaped the contemporary landscape of fishing.

James Crossen was born in Boston in 1926 and served in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. This experience helped him during the 1,200+days he was at sea during his long career. He began his career in 1955 with the U.S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries which later became the National Marine Fisheries Service.

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.

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. 

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.

Jim Keding is a 42-year-old fisherman; he currently captains a commercial fishing vessel out of Plymouth, Massachusetts. This vessel, the Mystic, fishes inshore for groundfish and is in sector 10. Jim serves as the sector's Vice President. He began fishing at age 14, in 1987; he chose fishing simply because he lived near the Plymouth fishing docks, and his cousin was the only one who fished in his family. Prior to captaining the Mystic, he owned and operated his own vessels.