From Whales to Flatfish and Scallops - New Bedford, MA
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 41° 38.134 W 070° 55.274
19T E 339979 N 4611097
When the whaling industry waned, fisherman had to adapt.
Waymark Code: WMNXH4
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/18/2015
Views: 1
Located on the New Bedford waterfront, this sign reads:
"From Whales to Flatfish and Scallops
The boats you see in the harbor today are mostly
commercial fishing vessels - primarily draggers and
scallopers; the whaling barks of the past have long
since vanished. By the 1930s, just as whaling faded
and the textile industry fled to the South, a new
fishing industry came to New Bedford's port. With
the advent of refrigerated trucks and a growing
number of fish dealers, fishermen from this region,
Maine, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia, along with
Norwegian and Portuguese immigrants, began to
drag the Atlantic for scallops and flounder.
Men like Norwegian-born Rasmus Tonnessen helped
establish the scallop industry here, opening the New Bedford
Ship Supply in 1935. Other fishing-related industries found
a niche here too, like a fileting operation responding to a
new trend: homemakers no longer wanted to buy and cook
fish whole. With hard work and ingenuity, a modern fishing
industry came of age."
Group that erected the marker: New Bedford Whaling Historical National Park
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
New Bedford Waterfront
New Bedford, MA USA
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed
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