Special Projects

NEW BEDFORD, Massachusetts — Captain Alan Curtis is not a fragile man. He speaks with a strong raspy voice that always has a quick-witted response to what life throws at him. With a strong build created from years of serving in the scallop industry, Curtis gives valuable knowledge of what working in the fishing industry […]

In a city renowned for its high grossing commercial fishing port, citizens of New Bedford display their diversity through countless artistic mediums nested in historical architecture and colored on building sides. On the corner of Coggeshall and North Front Streets stands Antonio’s Restaurant, a recurring New Bedford dinner spot that serves authentic Portuguese cuisine. The […]

New Bedford is an industrious town about an hour south of Boston that has the distinction of being the nation’s largest fishing port. With a population of nearly 101,000 people, according to 2020 census data, New Bedford is a mix of historical colonial houses converted into dentists’ offices, upscale seafood restaurants dotted along the waterfront […]

The City of New Bedford is home to the wealthiest fishing port on the east coast. With commercial fishing at the core of its economy, is there room for a new industry? Dominique Hamilton has the story.

EAST SANDWICH, Massachusetts — Ken Perry has been a tugboat captain for over 30 years. Throughout the decades, Ken has experienced the other side of the world, ‘The Perfect Storm’ and the loss of a fellow fisherman. He says, if he has learned one thing at sea, it is that family matters most. So, when […]

Lifelong New Bedford resident Andrew Bois found passion in serving his community through safety and scallops. For the last 30 of his 55 years, Bois has been working as a New Bedford firefighter. In 2012, he began managing one of the city’s most popular bar restaurants: Knuckleheads. “We have a lot of people that work […]

Knuckleheads is one of the last few remaining fishermen’s bars found close to the New Bedford harbor. Working men and women can be found eating and catching up with one another, often still in their work clothes and boots, fresh off the boats they fish on.   This was just the case for Benjamin Tweedie and […]

The Port of New Bedford is home to the wealthiest commercial fishing industry in the country. As the dominant port on the east coast, New Bedford has one of the best industrial working waterfronts with services that completely support marine industrial businesses. These shoreside services include fueling, icing, seafood harvesting, offloading, processing and more. The […]

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student journalists travel to Massachusetts to shed light on issues not covered by the mainstream media.

The single-vessel scallop boat owner is all but extinct in New Bedford. On a regular scalloper’s salary, it is challenging to pay the average price of $8,000 for a boat and the necessary permits, not to mention general upkeep and the cost of gas.   “No one really owns their own boat now—it’s really expensive,” […]

The sound of flowing ice rips through the mild New Bedford air. Captain Jessica Walker, 36, and her crew sit on the deck of their fishing vessel Legacy waiting for the nearly three-hour icing process to finish. They will likely need all this ice to store their catch. Their target: scallops. Scallops are among the […]