March 8, 2017 — The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is looking for volunteers to help with day-to-day operations, walking tours, educational programs and maintaining the center’s growing archive. The center, which opened to the public last June, is dedicated to telling the story of the fishing industry past, present and future through exhibits, programs and archives.

Volunteer opportunities include: welcoming visitors, staffing the reception area and gift shop, engaging visitors with the exhibits, assisting with educational programs, and helping with special events. During the summer months, the center will provide weekly walking tours for cruise-ship passengers and seeks volunteer tour guides to “learn the ropes” and become tour leaders. Additionally, the center is developing a digital archive of scanned photographs and documents and needs volunteers interested in assisting with this project. Training will be provided for all volunteers, according to a news release.

The center also is looking for people with fishing industry connections to talk with school groups and the general public about their work and lives.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

March 2, 2017 — The following has been released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

New Bedford, MA – The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will host Scanning Day on March 11, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Scanning Day is an opportunity for the public to share and preserve a digital image of their fishing industry photographs, documents and other records for future generations.

The Center invites the public to bring their fishing industry related photographs, both historic and contemporary, as well as documents such as settlement sheets, union books, or news clippings to be scanned. Staff will scan the materials and record any information the owner shares about each piece.  The owner will leave with their originals along with a digital copy  of the scans on a flash drive. The Center is working to create a digital archive of these materials which will be made available to researchers and the public. These documents will help us to tell the story of the fishing industry.  Scanning Day will take place the second Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to noon. This event is free and open to the public.

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the commercial fishing industry past, present, and future through archives, exhibits, and programs. For more information please contact the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center at info@fishingheritagecenter.org or call (508) 993-8894.

March 1, 2017 — The following was released by the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center:

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center will host Good Luck, Bad Luck: Superstitions at Sea on March 9, 2017 from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. during AHA night.  Fishermen and sailors will share superstitions and stories with the public in what is sure to be an entertaining discussion.

The men and women who work and play on the sea hold many superstitions.  From bananas to suitcases, there are many things not allowed on certain vessels for fear these items will bring bad luck. In an environment which can be unpredictable, beliefs, behaviors and practices can help a crew feel in control, perhaps guaranteeing the success of a trip or protecting the crew. 

As Linda Greenlaw wrote in her book, The Hungry Ocean, “Fishermen, especially those of an earlier vintage, are superstitious; we have a unique set of superstitions by which we live. Some landlubbers will think certain sea going rituals foolish and consider bizarre our avoidance of seemingly harmless words, actions, and things. However, when the stakes are high and the consequences that threaten sever, even the most rational among us will observe the rituals—just in case they hold merit.”

In addition, the Center will co-host the 123^rd anniversary celebration of the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey’s first trip. A lucky ship in her own right, she left Gloucester on March 14, 1894 and returned a highliner in July. To celebrate, the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association invites visitors to enjoy a piece of cake which will be served at 7:00 p.m.

The Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey Association, Inc. (SEMA) is a 501c(3) not-for-profit corporation with the purpose of raising funds to provide for the maintenance, equipment, manning, programming and operation of the Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey as a sail training vessel, school ship, and educational enterprise. SEMA is currently raising funds to match a $375,000 1:1 grant received by the Manton Foundation to fund the current rehabilitation work.

The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center is dedicated to preserving and presenting the story of the commercial fishing industry past, present, and future through archives, exhibits, and programs. Located at 38 Bethel Street, the Center is wheelchair accessible. Parking is available in the lot adjacent to the Center. Admission is free.

For more information, please contact the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center at info@fishingheritagecenter.org or call (508) 993-8894.

 

February 4, 2017 — Fishermen have been telling stories of the strange and unusual things they find in their nets for years.

On Saturday at the New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center fishermen from around the area had the opportunity to share their deep-sea findings and figure out, with the help of several maritime archaeologists, what their findings were and when they were made.

“Over the years I’ve heard about all the crazy stuff people have pulled up from torpedoes to human body parts to airplane wings to fossils,” New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center’s executive director Laura Orleans said.

“Everything. Even including a kitchen sink,” she said.

At the first annual Unusual Catch Day, fishermen were welcomed to bring in their deep-sea treasures and put them on display for the public and have them examined by maritime archaeologists.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times