Tor Bendiksen
Workers on the New Bedford Waterfront
These oral histories were 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.
Michelle Murray
Tor Bendiksen discusses what it’s like to be involved in a family-owned business that manufactures fishing gear such as nets and trawls for commercial fishermen. He made his first fishing trip at the age of thirteen aboard his father’s trawler. He understands from first-hand experience how fishing gear works and the needs of his customers. He discusses how fishing regulations have evolved from when he first stated fishing to what they are today. The regulations have a tremendous impact on how he designs his custom fishing gear. He considers many factors when designing nets and gear such as boat size, engine horsepower, fish species and their behavior, fish quotas, the fishing grounds and the type of ocean bottom that will be encountered. He relies on his father Reidar’s expertise as a respected boat captain. His father made his legacy as a high-liner fishing boat captain and Tor has carved out his own legacy designing gear and taking it to the next level. He loves everything about how fishing gear works and gets satisfaction from creating a quality product to meet the unique needs of his customers.
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.
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