NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Women have been involved in essential jobs within the commercial industry since its inception, particularly on shore. At New Bedford’s Fishing Heritage Center, Laura Orleans is telling the story of the city’s fishing industry – past, present, and future. Orleans says while men traditionally hauled in the fish, once the vessel and the catch returned to land, women were integral to everything that happened next: finances, seafood processing, and advocating for better fishing conditions. Stacy Alexander Nevells works just across the Acushnet River in Fairhaven, running Atlantic Shellfish with her father, Warren Alexander. As vessel operations manager, she oversees the company’s 19 boats. Most of them catch scallops.