Cape Verdean men have struggled for generations to work in professions, guaranteeing enough income to provide for their families.  They have gained a foothold on New Bedford’s docks unloading and loading foreign ships, particularly because workers on those ships often don’t have passports or papers that allow them to debark from the ship within the United States. Thus, longshoremen up and down the United States seaboard provide those services. Those longshoremen have come to be known to be part of the International Longshoremen’s Union abbreviated as the ILA.

Ms. Wheeler-Forrest tells two stories about her life as a third generation trap fisherman.

On September 23, 2007, Julie Olson interviewed Crista Bank as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Crista shares her experiences in the marine and fisheries field, including her education at UMass Dartmouth, her early work studying coral reef ecosystems in Australia, and her time as a marine biology instructor in the Florida Keys.  Her career then took her to New Bedford, where she joined the sail training ship Ernestina and became involved in the fisheries observer program.

In this interview, DEAM speaks of his evolving relationship with the fishing industry, from growing up with various family members involved in fish processing and delivery (including his father), to working as a truck driver for the fishing industry to finance his college education, eventually leading to his current job as a product manager at a food packaging company.

On September 23, 2006, Millie Rahn interviewed Dan Orchard as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Dan shares his experiences the Travis and Natalie out of Point Judith, Rhode Island. He’s worked on a variety of boats, including smaller boats, engaged in inshore dragging, scuba diving for steamers, and bull raking for little necks.

On September 25, 2011, Markham Starr interviewed Dave and Judy Dutra as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Dave discusses his experiences in the fishing industry, noting the ways the community and opportunity has changed over the years. He speaks of his family’s history with fishing and his earliest memories in growing up by the water in Provincetown, where he’s fished since the age of 10.

On September 27, 2008, Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Dave and Pat Densmore as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project. Dave describes his childhood growing up on the Kodiak and Aleutian Islands in Alaska, remarking that he has always been called to the water. He began working on boats at the age of 12, running skiff on his father’s boat, and taking on more responsibilities at a young age. Pat shares details of her farming background and her adjustment to work at sea.

Dave Blodgett tells his fish story which takes place on Lake Champlain, Vermont.

Dave Casoni has been a lobsterman for 40 years. He discusses how the industry has changed and about his life as a lobsterman.

On September 23, 2006, Janice Gadaire Fleuriel interviewed Dave Martins as part of the Working Waterfront Festival Community Documentation Project.  Dave’s parents immigrated to the US from the Azores, and while they weren’t directly involved in the fishing industry, fishing was embedded into their way of life, and they fished frequently. He describes his educational background and work in fisheries science at the School for Marine Science & Technology (SMAST).