December 2, 2024 โ A cold wind cut across New Bedford harbor as Jim Kendall, a retired scallop boat captain, surveyed the cityโs main fishing pier. Many of the boats sat idle, while a few crew members cleaned their decks and repaired equipment.
Kendall remembers how busy these docks used to be years ago, when there were fewer regulations and closures, and fishermen could head out most days of the year.
Now, โif you can fish, say, 60 days a year, youโre doing pretty damn good,โ he said.
New Bedford is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the country, landing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of seafood every year. But Kendall said bringing in that haul is getting harder, and the margins tighter. He blames Washington, and specifically the Democratic Party, for the change in fortunes.
โA lot of the Democrats had basically forgotten about the fishing industry or just donโt pay much regard to it,โ he said.
As for President-elect Trump, โthe fishing industry is really supporting him.โ
All across Massachusettsโ South Coast, cities and towns that voted for President Biden in 2020 flipped to Trumpโs column in 2024. The former president even came close to winning here in New Bedford, a storied working-class city that overwhelmingly supported Biden just four years ago.
Kendall said heโs surprised Trump didnโt win New Bedford outright, given all the support he sees among the fishermen.