Telling the story of the Fishing Industry
—Past, Present and Future.

Now on View!

Casting A Wider Net: A Community Oral History Project

Open thru May 2025 | Casting A Wider Net shares stories of communities of color that have been and continue to be an integral part of New Bedford’s fishing industry.

Building & Restoring Wooden Boats with Harold Burnham

Join eleventh-generation New England boat builder Harold Burnham for a special evening presentation to learn about the restoration of the historic Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey.

January 9, 2025

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 17, 2025

Dock-u-mentary: Voices of the Sea

Voices of the Sea is the story of a 30-something woman longing for a better life.

February 21, 2025

Dock-u-mentary: Life by Lobster

Set against the stunning backdrop of costal Maine, Life by Lobster takes you inside the lives of five young lobstermen who have...

February 26, 2025

Vietnamese Seafood Cooking Class

Learn how to make a Vietnamese-style seafood dish with community cook Ngoc Tran at New Bedford Voc-Tech.

DOCUMENTING AND PRESERVING OUR COMMUNITY

New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s community documentation work preserves and presents the rich history and culture of the local fishing community.

A growing collection of interviews, photographs, documents, video footage, and artifacts captures the experiences and knowledge of generations of fishermen, shoreside workers, and their families, ensuring their stories are passed down to future generations. Many of these materials have been digitized and are uploaded in our online collections database.