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Al Doucette has worked most of his 93 years as a fisherman, following in the footsteps of his father, Capt. Louis Doucette, and his grandfather.
He was a 15-year-old boy living through the end of the Great Depression when he began and remembers it as one of the lowest periods in the history of the fishing industry in New Bedford.
Back then, fishing wasn’t good money, said Doucette. “It’s a tough business. It really is a hard business.”
His fondest memories are of swordfishing, something the crew did on the way out to the scallop grounds. His eyes light up as he talks about scanning the water for two curved fins, or “horns.” He demonstrates with one of his keepsake harpoons what a “striker” does. And he tells a story of learning how to roll a swordfish onto his dory rather than leave it in the water with the tail out.
“I was proud of that one. That was a good feeling.”
Over the centuries, generations of fishermen and their families have passed down sea stories, weaving them into the rich tapestry of New Bedford’s history. The New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center has been at the forefront of preserving the fishing industry’s past, present, and future through exhibits, programs, and archives.
In collaboration with the Fishing Heritage Center, The Light continues its series, “Sea Stories,” a collection of testimonies from individuals in the fishing industry who have enriched New Bedford’s cultural heritage through their experiences.
Email multimedia reporter Eleonora Bianchi at ebianchi@newbedfordlight.org
