09/02/2026
Today, New Bedford is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the United States, but the industry we know today wasn’t built overnight. It grew out of necessity, resilience and generations of people willing to adapt.
As whaling declined and the city’s textile industry began to fade, another working waterfront was already taking shape. Small fishing boats gave way to larger vessels, technology evolved and, as the fleet grew, so did the network of gear suppliers, fish houses, cold storage facilities, auctions, processors and distributors needed to support it.
Over time, that network helped build the fishing industry that continues to drive New Bedford’s waterfront today.
One of the most important parts of our history is the knowledge that has been passed down through generations. Captains, crews, family businesses and waterfront workers have learned from those who came before them, while continuing to adapt to an industry that never stops changing.
Our latest blog looks at the generations of reinvention behind New Bedford’s seafood industry and how that history continues to shape the port today.
Read the full story:
https://canastrafishing.com/blog/new-bedfords-seafood-industry/