For Jennifer Tichon, her family’s legacy in New Bedford had existed only in stories passed down through the years.
That changed the moment she stepped into the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center (FHC), and her father pointed out a familiar face on the screen in front of them. Suddenly, her great-grandfather came to life in black-and-white footage.
“We were all in awe! Everywhere we looked, it was somewhere in New Bedford we knew, someone we knew, something we’d seen, and sounds and voices we recognized,” said Jennifer.
It’s moments like this that make preserving New Bedford’s fishing stories so important to FHC executive director Laura Orleans.
“It’s been kind of my life’s work to try to make sure that the fishing story is told, and told by the people who live it as much as possible,” she says.
New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s mission
New Bedford’s bustling docks have launched an untold number of journeys into the Atlantic over centuries, each one carrying not just crews and equipment, but stories of risk, resilience, and community.
However, these firsthand memories are at risk of disappearing forever.
To preserve them, New Bedford’s Fishing Heritage Center has built an impressive archive of family and community stories through exhibits, programs, and digital collections.
Though relatively compact at just 3,000 square feet, the museum’s exhibitions pack an emotional punch for many. For visitors like Jennifer, that impact can be deeply personal. Seeing her great-grandfather in motion transformed her understanding of her family’s history.
“It’s common for someone to walk in and see a face they know staring back at them from an exhibit,” Laura says.
“But as our community ages, or in those tragic cases where lives are lost at sea, the weight of this work grows.”
The people behind the history
At the heart of New Bedford’s fishing heritage are the people themselves.
Many of the city’s fishermen come from families who have worked these waters for decades. Their knowledge of how to read the sea, mend nets, and endure long, dangerous trips is often passed down orally.
The FHC has spent a decade curating this material so visitors can explore and contribute to the story of New Bedford’s fishing industry.
By uploading oral histories, family stories, photographs, logbooks, and rare footage, the Center does far more than display artifacts. It preserves the emotional and economic story of New Bedford’s fishing industry.
New Bedford’s story runs deep
New Bedford’s history is often framed through its whaling past or broad accounts of the local fishing industry’s trials and tribulations that only tell a small part of a fascinating story.
What often gets lost are the real community stories that made the port what it is today: multi-generational fishing families; immigrant communities woven into life on U.S. docks; and a rising wave of women reshaping the industry from within.
These voices form a living archive that carries the port’s history forward. Preserving them ensures that its identity and future are shaped not only by industry and data, but by the families who continue to sustain it.
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Time is running out
Preserving New Bedford’s fishing history has become a race against time.
If their value isn’t recognized, family photographs, logbooks, and settlement sheets risk being thrown away or forgotten. Yet these everyday items often contain the richest historical detail.
Laura says we’ve reached an especially critical time because many of those who lived through New Bedford’s most influential moments are now in their 70s, 80s, or older. When these voices are lost, entire chapters of the community’s history might disappear with them.
“We have become the repository for so many stories and photographs that might otherwise vanish,” Laura explains.
How the archive keeps stories alive beyond New Bedford
For fishing families, the heritage center offers a way to reconnect with their history. But its impact extends beyond the local community.
The digital collection is used by students, researchers, authors, local media, and even documentary filmmakers to bring their projects to life.
Laura points out that the archive currently receives around 300 searches each month, reflecting what a valuable resource it has become.
She says, “Over the last decade, when we’ve lost pillars of this industry, I’ve been able to reach out to their families and say, ‘We have this oral history we did with your father. We want to share it so you can hear his voice again.’
“That’s why this center and the archive really matter.”
Reconnecting families with their fishing roots
One of the FHC’s more recent exhibits, Hauling Back, takes its name from the process of retrieving fishing gear from the water after it’s deployed (the name also reflects the way fishing families pull knowledge, stories, and skills from the past to share with future generations).
Supported with federal funds from the National Maritime Heritage Grant program, the exhibit grew out of a desire to reach those who had not previously been closely involved.
“Getting involved with the Fishing Heritage Center has not only helped me feel closer to my father after his death, but it has also helped me feel closer to my heritage,” said Kaylen Quintin, an FHC board member whose father Tommy was lost at sea.
Laura hopes these experiences inspire other fishing families to reconnect with their heritage and with the institution preserving it.
“For a lot of people who walk in the door, we’re offering a connection to their family’s history,” she says.
In many cases, that connection continues to grow. Laura says families featured in exhibits often go on to donate materials, contribute financially, or deepen their involvement in other ways, helping sustain the center’s mission.
How to support the Fishing Heritage Center
The best way to support the FHC is to visit its digital archive. Whether you’re researching, learning, or simply curious, it offers a meaningful way to connect with the people and history behind the industry. If you would like to support the Center financially, you can also make a donation to help preserve and share these stories.
Beyond its archives and exhibitions, there’s also a calendar of community events, including school programs, screenings, and annual festivals such as the New Bedford Oysterfest and Scallopalooza.
If you or your family have photos, documents, or footage related to New Bedford’s fishing community, consider contributing them to the collection. Even the smallest pieces can help tell a larger story and ensure this history is preserved for future generations. To donate materials, email archives@fishingheritagecenter.org.
Canastra Fishing Co. takes pride in supporting the preservation of New Bedford’s fishing legacy and the families who continue that story today.
The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is at 38 Bethel St., next to the Whaling Museum. Pay a visit, or experience the rich history it has collected at fishingheritagecenter.org.
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