Join us for a virtual discussion with Shareen Davis and Angela Sanfillipo, the women profiled in the film, A Fish Story. Learn about the history of women as fishing industry advocates and what has changed in the 20 years since the film was made.
We will not be screening the film during the Zoom meeting. You can watch the film ahead of time on Youtube by using this link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5K4xMjFWK8
About the film: A Fish Story is the tale of two women who lead their communities in a battle for control of the ocean. Angela Sanfilippo of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Shareen Davis of Chatham, Massachusetts were born into fishing families and married men who continue to make a living from the sea. Fishing defines who they are and has sustained their communities for generations. But their way of life is threatened when a powerful coalition of national environmental groups file a lawsuit that could put hundreds of fishermen out of business. Three hundred years of fishing tradition and the health of the ocean hangs in the balance.
In the 1970s, enormous international fishing fleets decimated the waters off New England leaving local fishermen struggling to survive in the wake of this environmental disaster. Decades later, New England fishermen and environmentalist remain locked in an intense battle over the current health and future management of the ocean. And with the success of a broad sweeping lawsuit filed in 2000, environmentalists are demanding radical new conservation measures that could spell disaster for New England fishermen and their communities. Angela and Shareen find themselves at the center of this political storm as they struggle to save both fish and fishermen. Delving into the behind-the-scenes world of politicians, environmentalists, journalists, and fishermen, A Fish Story confronts the hard choices faced when human needs and those of the environment collide.
Please contact Hannah at programs@fishingheritagecenter.org with any questions.
Dock-u-mentaries are presented by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. This event is supported by a Bridge Street Scholarship from Mass Humanities. Virtual Dock-u-mentaries Discussion: A Fish Story is part of Women’s Work, the Center’s series about women’s roles in commercial fishing which is funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Women’s Fisheries Network, Mass Cultural Council, and the New Bedford, Fairhaven, Dartmouth, Westport, Marion, and Mattapoisett Cultural Councils.
