September 27, 2015 — NEW BEDFORD — The smell of fried clams and scallops permeates the air as the crisp early autumn wind wisps the scent onward to every corner of Pier 3, as people listen to music, view creations from artisans, and witness how to shuck a scallop – which can mean only one thing.
The 12th annual Working Waterfront Festival is in full swing at New Bedford Harbor.
Since it’s inception in 2004, the two-day festival in late September brings in thousands of locals throughout SouthCoast in celebration of the vibrant fishing industry and those who make it work.
“We wanted people and locals to understand the fishing industry,” said Kirsten Bendiksen, one of the founders of the festival.
“Everyone sees the bridge go up,” says Bendiksen of the New Bedford/Fairhaven Bridge. “They know when the bridge goes up, the fishing vessels go out, but they don’t know how they get their catch.”