'Voices' project adds multimedia exhibits, New Bedford immigrant stories

Sunday, 18 December 2011 07:12

Travel News & More - News and Commentary

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Voices from the Fisheries project has announced several updates and new initiatives. The project consolidates existing and future oral history interviews and interview collections related to the human dimensions of marine and Great Lakes ecosystems and makes them accessible to the public through an online portal. Oral history interviews are a powerful way of documenting and illustrating the human connection to precious marine and Great Lakes environments and their resources. Each story donated to the Voices from the Fisheries database provides a unique example of this connection.

Two New Multimedia Exhibits

The project has announced two multimedia exhibits featuring 13 interview podcasts.  Users can now view a total of 11 exhibits featuring 43 interviews from the Voices from the Fisheries database. These exhibits are drawn from a variety of oral history collections in the database and continue to highlight the diversity of the human experience in U.S. fisheries.

The new stories are titled "Fishermen’s Wives" and "Immigrant Women in Seafood Processing." Each two-minute clip provides a glimpse into each individual’s interview. The complete interviews can be found in the VFF database. To see and listen to the exhibits, go to www.voices.nmfs.noaa.gov.

If you are interested in creating an exhibit for your collection to be shared on the Voices site, email Jessica Bailey, Project Manager, at voices@noaa.gov.

Portuguese fishermen, boat operators, and boat owners make up more than half the New Bedford, Mass., fishing fleet.  New Bedford continues to be the number one fishing port in the U.S. for value of its landings -- a position it has held for nine years running. It is, however, undergoing rapid transformation, including the retirement of aging fishermen.

This project documents the experiences of 15 representative Portuguese members of New Bedford's fishing industry through their oral histories. Researchers record, transcribe, and translate the interviews, as well as collecting photos and other documents. The materials are used to develop a variety of products and activities, including K-12 teaching materials, exhibits, and publications, all aimed at providing and preserving information relevant to the understanding of fisheries management, coastal restoration, and the economic vitality of New Bedford.

For information, contact Patricia Pinto da Silva, patricia.pinto.da.silva@noaa.gov, or Gloria de Sa, mdesa@umassd.edu. Funding provided by the NOAA Preserve America Initiative Grant.

Send your maritime heritage research news to contact@fyddeye.com. Subscribe to our newsletter.