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Jan
15
Fri
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries: Swimming Upstream, A Book Talk by Mike Foley @ ZOOM
Jan 15 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries: Swimming Upstream, A Book Talk by Mike Foley @ ZOOM

Tune in for a book talk by Mike Foley of Foley Fish Company, author of Swimming Upstream: Four Generations of Fishmongering. Click here to join the ZOOM meeting. Learn more about Mike Foley and Swimming Upstream by clicking here.

This program is free and open to the public.

Dock-u-mentaries are presented by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. Thank you to BankFive for supporting our film series.

Information about Swimming Upstream:

In 1898 a 16-year-old immigrant with a sixth-grade education and not much more than the clothes on his back landed in Boston. By 1906, this immigrant, Michael Foley, had started a fresh fish company. In 2005, Michael Foley’s great-granddaughter, Laura, together with Peter, her co-owner husband, became the fourth generation to own and operate the Foley Fish Company, the seafood industry’s standard for quality, consistency, and integrity. Swimming Upstream is the story of four generations of Foley fishmongers, their successes and failures, their talents and foibles. Each generation has met the changing needs of the business in its own way, but in four generations, the goal set by the founder to provide customers only truly fresh, delicious, nutritious seafood has never been compromised. Swimming Upstream is more than the story of a family and a business. It is an immigrant’s story of Boston in the early 1900s. Michael Foley arrived when “No Irish need apply” signs were posted, but in spite of this his son Francis graduated from Harvard College. This is the story of the daunting challenges faced by the Foleys in producing a highly perishable product with highly variable pricing, and the many loyal and talented employees who enabled them to meet innumerable challenges through two World Wars, the Depression, resource depletion, and now the Covid pandemic. It is about competing with producers who added water-weight to lower prices, or substitute species to average down costs. It is the story of the vagaries of U.S. fisheries management and Foley Fish’s efforts to support the resource. It is also the story of Foley Fish’s attempt to educate the consumer, and even chefs, on how to care for and prepare fish, and to assure the public that truly fresh fish doesn’t smell fishy.

Feb
4
Thu
New England Sea Summit 2021 @ ZOOM
Feb 4 @ 11:00 am – 3:00 pm
New England Sea Summit 2021 @ ZOOM

Sea Summit Conference 2021- Click here to register; Click here to learn more about the event

Presented by Partner Organizations: University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Northeastern University, Eastern State Connecticut University, Massachusetts Maritime, New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center

How can New England institutions better leverage their influence to support local seafood and seafood producers? With the nation’s top dollar fishing port in New Bedford, why do we not see more local fish on the menu at colleges and other institutions? Can our institutional supply chains take advantage of underutilized species to help address these issues? 

UMass Dartmouth and Farm to Institution New England welcome you to attend an online Sea Summit focused on these questions. Join us for an engaging panel and stakeholder dialogue, where speakers will share how a team of colleges and supply chain partners tackled these issues through a 2018 New England Food Vision Prize from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. Learn more about the challenges and opportunities of producing and sourcing farmed kelp and underutilized fish species in New England. Speakers will also share how they worked to bring underutilized species into community and university dining programs, even with the added challenges presented by a global pandemic. 

Conference speakers include Barton SeaverBriana WarnerKate Masury, and Jamey Lionette.

This is a free event. With a free registration, we are asking folks (who are financially able) to please donate to the Fisherman Resilience Fund. Please donate now.

This event is made possible with the generous support of the Henry P. Kendall Foundation

About the Projects

UMass Dartmouth, Eastern Connecticut State University, Northeastern University, and Massachusetts Maritime Academy (all Chartwells’ accounts) partnered with the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center to better support local aquaculture and fishing industries. This team collaborated on two Food Vision Prizes: 1) Underutilized, Local Fish and 2) Kelp Farming. Both projects sought to create a market for and raise awareness about underutilized local seafood products. To do this, the teams worked on supply chain logistics, developed new menus and recipes for the products, and engaged students and community members to build enthusiasm.

Feb
11
Thu
New Exhibit Preview for “More than a Job” @ ZOOM
Feb 11 @ 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm
New Exhibit Preview for "More than a Job" @ ZOOM

Join the Fishing Heritage Center for a sneak peek of their brand new, permanent exhibit, More than a Job: Work and Community in New Bedford’s Fishing Industry! Learn about what goes on behind the scenes when planning an exhibit and see previews of some of the new exhibit elements. This exhibit will open to the public later this spring. Tune in to the Exhibit Preview on ZOOM by clicking here.

This program takes place on AHA! Night and is free and open to the public.

Feb
18
Thu
MS + MA “Coast to Coast” @ ZOOM
Feb 18 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
MS + MA "Coast to Coast" @ ZOOM

Tune in for a conversation between members of the fishing community in New Bedford and coastal Mississippi. How are they meeting the challenges of changing economics, climate, and populations? FHC Executive Director Laura Orleans will speak on this panel.

MS + MA is a joint project of the Mississippi Humanities Council and Mass Humanities.

Click here to learn more and to register for the event ZOOM link. This is a free event, but registration is required.

Feb
19
Fri
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries: The Port of New Bedford- Then and Now @ ZOOM
Feb 19 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries:  The Port of New Bedford- Then and Now @ ZOOM

Tune in for a virtual presentation about the Port of New Bedford- then and now! First, we will share a recently digitized slideshow made in the 1960s about the port. After, photographer Phil Mello will share his own updated version featuring contemporary images of the working waterfront. Join the ZOOM meeting by clicking here.

Mar
11
Thu
Women and the Sea: Exploring Women’s Roles in Maritime Songs, a Virtual Concert and Lecture by Debra Cowan @ Facebook Live
Mar 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Women and the Sea: Exploring Women’s Roles in Maritime Songs, a Virtual Concert and Lecture by Debra Cowan @ Facebook Live

Tune in for a virtual concert and lecture by Debra Cowan! This program offers an engaging and informative look at the often overlooked and varied roles and experiences of women and the sea through the lens of Maritime songs and ballads. The program will be live-streamed on the Center’s Facebook page.

Cross-dressing? Heroic young girls saving manly men on storm-tossed seas? Beautiful women luring unsuspecting sailors to their doom? Women working in seafood processing plants? All these subjects and more are the focus of Debra Cowan’s Women and the Sea: Exploring Women’s Roles in Maritime Song program.

There are an abundance of songs that describe the many different and diverse roles that women have played in Maritime songs and stories. Sirens and supernatural women, the women left behind and women disguised as men are among the themes explored in this program. Debra also discusses these roles and sings examples of contemporary and traditional sea-songs in which women are featured as the main characters. Debra emphasizes that women can overcome adversity and in some of these songs and stories, take charge and win the day.

“Stunning” is a word that is often used to describe Debra Cowan’s vocals. She performs unaccompanied and with guitar, interpreting a wide range of traditional and contemporary folk songs. Debra’s performances impress listeners with her clarity, warmth, agility, all the while encouraging the audience to join in on choruses and refrains. Her four recordings have been met with high praise world-wide and in June 2015, she was featured in the UK folk music magazine, Living Tradition.

This program is part of a series related to the Center’s project, Women’s Work: At Sea, On Shore, At Home, In the Community. Funding for this project is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Women’s Fisheries Network, the Mass Cultural Council, and the New Bedford, Dartmouth, Westport, and Mattapoisett Cultural Council.

Mar
19
Fri
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries: Women in the Fishing Industry in Point Judith @ ZOOM
Mar 19 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries: Women in the Fishing Industry in Point Judith @ ZOOM

Tune in for the Center’s latest Virtual Dock-u-mentaries event, Women in the Fishing Industry in Point Judith by filmmaker Markham Starr. Starr will be speaking about the documentary and filmmaking process as well as answering audience questions. Click here to join the Zoom meeting on March 19th, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84928218789
We will not be screening the film during the Zoom call and are asking guests to watch the film on their own using this link, https://vimeo.com/518567018/f3dc97801b

While over the years a few women have successfully worked as commercial fishermen out of Point Judith, Rhode Island, the industry has overwhelmingly been dominated by men. As with other traditional industries throughout the country, tightening labor markets and a dwindling supply of men willing to commit to heavy work has created opportunities for women. This film follows a handful of women now working in the industry through a typical day on deck or on the factory floor. This film is part of a larger series documenting the commercial fishery in Point Judith for the Library of Congress.

Dock-u-mentaries are presented by New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. This program is part of 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, and Mattapoisett Cultural Councils. The program is free and open to the public.

Apr
8
Thu
Women in the Workplace, Women on Deck: Fisherpoets Virtual Round Robin @ Facebook Live
Apr 8 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Women in the Workplace, Women on Deck: Fisherpoets Virtual Round Robin @ Facebook Live

Tune in for a virtual event featuring female fisherpoets from around the country! These fisherpoets will share stories, poems, and music related to their experiences in the fishing industry and community. This event will be led by Moe Bowstern and will feature Tele Aadsen, Meezie Hermansen, Alana Kansaku-Sarmiento, Meghan Gervais, Kate Murphy, Billie Delaney, and Melanie Brown plus others to be announced!

This event will take place on the Fishing Heritage Center’s Facebook page as a Facebook Live event. You can watch by visiting the Center’s Facebook page at 7:00pm EDT on Thursday, April 8th.

Women in the Workplace, Women on Deck is supported by a Bridge Street Scholarship from Mass Humanities. This program is part of 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. The program take place on April’s AHA! Night and is free and open to the public.

Performer Bios (more coming soon!)

Moe Bowstern is the editor since 1996 of Xtra Tuf, a zine that chronicles the experiences and adventures of commercial fisher folk in Alaska and beyond. Moe worked on fishing boats starting in 1986, when as a miserable 18-year-old boat cook she once inadvertently threatened the lives of the crew by serving pasta tossed with shards of glass. She has fished salmon, halibut, herring, tanner crab, cod in Alaska, shad on the Hudson River, shrimp in Miami and mackerel, crab and lobster in the Moray Firth of Scotland. She lives in Portland Oregon, where she writes for the It Did Happen Here historical documentary podcast telling the story of Portland activists who chased fascist skinheads out of town in the late 80s/early 90s.

Melanie Brown fishes for sockeye salmon in the Naknek River District of Bristol Bay with her kids on the set-net site that her Great Grandfather, Paul Chukan, staked out. She winters in Juneau, Alaska and advocates for salmon and wild salmon habitat with her colleagues at SalmonState.

Tele Aadsen is an Alaskan salmon troller who sold her first catch for the price of an ice cream cone in 1984. She fishes the F/V Nerka with partner Joel & cat Halcyon, living ocean-summers in Lingit Aani, Southeast Alaska, & land-winters in the Coast Salish territory of Bellingham, Washington. www.nerkasalmon.com

Kat Murphy is a power troller in southeast Alaska.  She targets salmon in the summer months and in the off season, direct markets her catch and sells other fish she’s sourced from small boat fishermen in and around Port Townsend, WA through her business, Katfish Salmon Co.  When she’s not fishing, selling, and thinking about fish, Kat enjoys mushroom hunting and catching up on sleep.

Apr
16
Fri
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries Discussion: The Long Coast @ ZOOM
Apr 16 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Virtual Dock-u-mentaries Discussion: The Long Coast @ ZOOM

Join us for a virtual discussion with Robyn Metcalfe, Executive Producer of the film, The Long Coast. Click here to join the Zoom meeting on Friday, April 16th at 7:00pm. Watch the trailer for The Long Coast by clicking here.

We will not be screening the film during the Zoom meeting. You can watch the film on your own by registering here. Register by April 15th to receive access before the discussion on April 16th. Once you receive the link, you will have 48 hours to watch the film.

In a series of lyrical portraits, The Long Coast illuminates the stories of Maine’s seafolk, those whose lives and livelihoods are inextricably connected to the ocean. This atmospheric film shows the beauty, intimacy, and uncertainty that coastal dwellers face in rooting their lives in the ocean, particularly as human actions — from overfishing, to aquaculture, to warming seas — confront Maine and its people with profound change.

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. Thank you to Zapalac Advisors for funding this event.

 

May
13
Thu
Mothers, Wives, and Daughters: Stories from Fishing Families @ ZOOM
May 13 @ 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Mothers, Wives, and Daughters: Stories from Fishing Families @ ZOOM

Tune in for a virtual event featuring women from fishing families. These women will share their stories about the unique dynamics within fishing families and the role women have played in supporting those who work the sea. Takes place at 7pm over ZOOM, https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87975328369

This event is supported by a Bridge Street Scholarship from Mass Humanities. Mothers, Daughters, Wives: Stories from Fishing Families 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. This even takes place on May’s AHA! Night and is free and open to the public.

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