The Working Waterfront Festival In The News
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| January 4, 2010 |
Working Waterfront Festival Publishes Book - Voices from the Waterfront: Portrait of the New Bedford Fishing Industry |
| September 17, 2009 |
Working Waterfront Festival Hosts Roundtable Discussion for Fishermen and Farmers |
| September 4, 2009 |
Native American Fishing and Farming Traditions to be Presented at 2009 Working Waterfront Festival |
| September 4, 2009 |
Festival Farmers Market and Expanded Food Court to Showcase Local Seafood and Seasonal Produce |
| September 4, 2009 |
FREE Children's Activities: A Boatload of Fun in Store for Children at the Working Waterfront Festival |
| September 4, 2009 |
2009 Working Waterfront Festival Overview |
| September 4, 2009 |
Working Waterfront Festival to Feature Cowboy Poet Joel Nelson |
| June 5, 2009 |
Voices from the Port Programs to Air on WBSM Radio (1420 AM) |
| May 18, 2009 |
Working Waterfront Festival Announces A T-Shirt Design Contest |
| February 19, 2009 |
Working Waterfront Festival Announces 2009 Theme |
| September 19, 2008 |
Area Students to Experience Fisherpoetry, African American Work Songs and Norwegian Folk Dance |
| September 15, 2008 |
Chesapeake Bay Crab Picker and Cook Janice Marshall to Share Famous Smith Island Cake Recipe |
| September 8, 2008 |
Festival Performers Include Alaskan Fisherpoet Dave Densmore |
| September 2, 2008 |
Working Waterfront Festival and National Park Team Up To Present Summer Camp |
| September 2, 2008 |
Over 100 Performers on Tap for 2008 Working Waterfront Festival |
| August 25, 2008 |
Molly O'Neill to Speak at 2008 Working Waterfront Festival |
| August 13, 2008 |
2008 Working Waterfront Festival to Feature Flume Tank |
| August 1, 2008 |
2008 Working Waterfront Festival: Theme to Explore Challenges Facing Ports |
| June 10, 2008 |
2008 Working Waterfront Festival Slated for September |
| June 6, 2008 |
Port of New Bedford Featured in PBS Documentary |
| May 6, 2008 |
Working Waterfront Festival Announces T-Shirt Design Contest |
| April 3, 2008 |
Working Waterfront Festival AHA Program to explore "The Greening of the Port" |
| March 6, 2008 |
Shellfishermen to be Focus of March AHA Program |
| February 11, 2008 |
2008 Working Waterfront Festival Lands Several Grants |
| February 7, 2008 |
Longshoremen to be Featured in February AHA Program |
| January 3, 2008 |
Working Waterfront Festival Joins AHA |
The Project to Save Seafood and Ocean Resources Announces Creation of a New Website
The Project to Save Seafood and Ocean Resources: www.SavingSeafood.org
Fishing Facts
The fishing industry employees over 15,000 people in New England and 3,500 people in New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth and surrounding towns.
Seafood harvesting and processing contributes $5.5 billion to the New England economy and $850 million to our local economy.
Fish is a healthy food source. It is high in protein and low in fat. Harvested from the ocean, wild fish is free of the antibiotics, pesticides, preservatives and dyes found in many other foods.
Many people who work in the fishing industry are from families who have fished or done fishing related work for generations.
New England's fishing industry employs people from many ethnic communities.
Fishermen are conservationists.
They have designed and supported many measures to conserve the resource:
- Seasonal and year-round area closures
- Limited days at sea
- Fishing gear restrictions
- Minimum fish sizes
- Marine mammal protection
- Fishermen are now fishing under a TAC (Total Allowable Catch) on Georges Bank.
- A SAP (Special Access Program) is being used to regulate the haddock fishery. Fishermen now use a haddock separator trawl that separates haddock from other species thereby significantly reducing by-catch.
- US fishermen use the largest size mesh openings (6.5" for
groundfish) in the world; this allows juvenile fish to escape.
- Fishermen now attend 6 days of science and management seminars which teach them to better understand the science and management side of the industry.
These Regulations are working.
- Fish populations have tripled since 1995
- Scallop stocks are at 450 million pounds
Safety
The industry is committed to improving safety at sea:
- 755 fishermen have taken advantage of Phase I basic safety and survival training.
- 101 fishermen have completed Phase II which makes them a certified Drill Conductor able to conduct monthly safety drills on their boats.
