Saving Seafood

MASSACHUSETTS: Fishermen’s monument could have Memorial Day unveiling in New Bedford

April 19, 2016 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A monument honoring commercial fishermen could be unveiled on Memorial Day on a waterfront site near the ferry terminal and State Pier, after more than a decade of fundraising and planning efforts, supporters and city officials said.

Deb Shrader, chairperson of the Fishermen’s Tribute Fund Committee, said the unveiling could coincide with the annual Fishermen’s Memorial Service on Pier 3.

Memorial Day is May 30. The holiday’s message reflects that of the monument, which Shrader said will “honor fishermen past, present and future.” The clay creation of local sculptor and Bristol Community College art professor Erik Durant will be cast in bronze, Shrader said. The sculpture depicts a fisherman kneeling and hugging his daughter with one arm, while placing his other hand on his son’s shoulder. His wife stands closely behind, touching her son and her husband.

“You can’t tell whether the fisherman is saying goodbye to his family or returning from a trip,” Shrader said. “Both moments are very intense. If you’ve been part of a fishing family … that’s a moment in time that they remember.”

Mayor Jon Mitchell said the moment is fitting for the statue’s location in Tonnessen Square Park, close to MacArthur Drive and the State Pier entrance.

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times

Vision for New Bedford’s waterfront focuses on fishing, revamped State Pier

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (March 24, 2016) — Expanding the scope of New Bedford’s commercial fishing industry — and showcasing it with greater public access on a revitalized, multi-use State Pier — are key components of a detailed vision for the city’s entire waterfront outlined in a report that culminates an 18-month planning process and looks decades into the future.

Boston consultants Sasaki Associates focus on three waterfront sections: northern, roughly from the Whale’s Tooth parking lot to I-195; central, roughly from Route 6 into the NStar site of a failed casino bid, now used by Sprague Oil and Eversource Energy; and southern, primarily involving the Marine Commerce Terminal and surrounding parcels.

Ed Anthes-Washburn, port director for the Harbor Development Commission, emphasized a primary theme that he said permeates the entire plan.

“Fishing is threaded throughout,” Anthes-Washburn said Wednesday.

Sasaki’s final report follows numerous public and private meetings last year, and incorporates input from business leaders, industry representatives, property owners and other stakeholders up and down the waterfront.

“Every single parcel, and every single parcel owner, was contacted,” said Derek Santos, executive director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council (EDC).

Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times