Still making history
New Bedford, Mass., once the nation's
whaling capital, thrives as a modern fishing port
By Linc Bedrosian
When the 173-year-old whaling bark Charles W. Morgan sailed into New Bedford, Mass., on a cloudy July day, it made an impression on Whaling City native Jim Kendall, a veteran fishermen's advocate.
"It's always an exhilarating feeling to see boats coming to New Bedford, but with her, she appeared so suddenly, it was quite a thrill," says Kendall, 72, who was a scallop fisherman for 32 years before starting New Bedford Seafood Consulting. "It was kind of surreal. And then to see all the people who were excited about it, that was something."
An estimated 50,000 people turned out to see the whaler during her nine-day stay. The Morgan, America's last whaling ship, was a striking reminder to tourists and local residents of New Bedford's historic whaling fishery, which held sway from the 1700s to the mid-1800s.
The Morgan's visit is just one example of New Bedford's pride in its fishing history. The New Bedford Whaling Museum, founded in 1903, offers information, exhibits and programming that shed light on the influence the port and the whaling industry had on the region.
A joint campaign by the New Bedford Port Society and Waterfront Historic Area League aims to raise $500,000 to acquire a matching Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Grant. Those monies would be used as part of a $2 million project to restore the Seamen's Bethel and Mariner's Home. If all goes well, construction would start in 2015.
The Mariner's Home, built in 1787, would be transformed into a fishermen's museum that will show the development of New Bedford's fishing industry and honor its fishermen lost at sea. The Seamen's Bethel, constructed in 1832, was the inspiration for the Whalemen's Chapel in author Herman Melville's classic novel "Moby-Dick." It will contain classrooms to educate students, while its chapel will remain available for memorial services, weddings and other functions.
The Morgan's visit reflected New Bedford's fishing history, but it also enabled people to explore New Bedford as the successful full-service port it is today. It's been the nation's top fishing port by value for 13 straight years. In 2012, its fishing fleets landed some 143 million pounds worth $411 million, according to NMFS data.
The port is home to the Whaling City Seafood Display Auction, more than 30 processors and distributors, ship chandleries, ice houses, welders, net designers, engineers and a variety of other marine-related businesses.
A thriving scallop fishery rules the port's landings roost. According to the Port of New Bedford website, approximately 50 million pounds of scallops annually cross the city's docks. At the height of the season, scallopers land 500,000 pounds a day in New Bedford.
The fishery got more good news in August when researchers from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology announced that a video survey conducted from May to July documented a 32 percent, 77 million pound increase in the Georges Bank scallop population. According to Kevin Stokesbury, chairman of SMAST's Department of Fisheries and Oceanography, if those scallops are protected and managed well...
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