Boston Fish Pier - Boston, MA - Commercial Fishing Ports on Waymarking.com

Constructed in 1911-1913, the Boston Fish Pier has been the focal point of the city’s fish industry for over a century. According to one study, the efficient and sophisticated nature of the Pier made it a model for the world’s fishing industry in the early 1900s. In 1936, 339 million pounds of fresh fish passed through the Boston Fish Pier. By 1975, however, the amount was 22 million pounds, a manifestation of a dramatic decrease in fish stock due to overfishing, a decline that has intensified since. Massachusetts once had, for example, the world’s richest cod stock. Today, the cod catch is a tiny fraction of what it was.

As a result, the Boston Fish Pier, now owned by the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), has undergone substantial changes in recent decades. Originally focused on the landing and distribution of fresh fish caught in the waters off of Massachusetts, the majority of the fish now processed and sold there arrive from afar. One wholesaler and retailer housed at the Pier reported to The Boston Globe in 2016 that 75 percent of his fish was transported from overseas, arriving in Boston by plane or ship.

The Boston Fish Pier is on the National Register of Historic Places. It consists of three buildings, all of which were constructed in 1910-1914; one of them serves as a multipurpose function facility. As of 2020, the pier complex housed 20 commercial fishing boats and 19 seafood-related businesses.

While Massport subsidizes the rents of its tenants, many associated with the pier fear for its future. The key reasons are the lucrative nature of the space the pier occupies in an economically booming Seaport where the fishing business is an outlier and the ever-changing nature of the food industry.

Source: (visit link)

Commonly Caught Species around Boston: striped bass, perch, bluefish, swordfish, winter flounder, carp, cod, halibut, haddock, tuna as well as lobster, clams, mussels and oysters.

Fishing Types: both fin fish and shellfish in season Fishing method: nets, lines fishing season: year round Harbor tour: yes Mémorial: Didn't see any memorial Fish market: yes History: It is a historic fishing pier and it is still a working fishing pier Sale of fish: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
Proof of your visit is required.
Post TWO photos: One of a sign with the name of the port, and one of the fishing boats/activity.
Describe your visit.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.