Catching The Codfather

The water and waterfront have always been central to the culture of New England. That’s where the modern economy of this region was born, where so much of our signature food comes from, and where to this day, many of us look for inspiration. As one person later told me: the west has its cowboys, we have our fishermen.

In Season 3 of The Big Dig podcast, “Catching The Codfather,” we go down to the docks, aided by a rich array of material from the GBH archives. As the series unfolds, we hear the rallying cries of the 1986 fishermen’s strike in New Bedford. We hear Congressman Gerry Studds complain about how officials in Washington think lobsters are red (when alive and uncooked, they are greenish-brown). And of course we hear from many fishing captains, eager for a chance to speak their piece to the public.

Many items in the collection stand out – as both valuable pieces of reporting, and visually fascinating windows in their own time. On a gray day at the New Bedford docks, Reporter Meg Vaillancourt interviews a pair of fishermen as they reflect on the high risk, low paying conditions that led them to the picket line. Later, in the summer of 1988, aerial shots of the rich fishing ground, Georges Bank, illustrate what’s at stake if offshore oil drilling is allowed. We see fishermen navigating rough waters, while pulling in pounds of cod and haddock. Meanwhile, a polished Governor Dukakis speaks shoreside in defense of the fish and their ocean habitat.

This special collection also features material from The Ten O’Clock News, Greater Boston, WGBH Journal, and other programs. To learn more about the podcast and find out how to listen, go to the “Catching The Codfather” podcast page or subscribe to The Big Dig wherever you listen to podcasts.