New Bedford remains the largest commercial fishing port in the United States, but it has fallen on hard times, writes Rory Nugent in his riveting DOWN AT THE DOCKS. Its textile mills, once booming, nosedived years ago, and the digital age hasn';t brought new careers to a city driven by hard, working-class jobs.
Believe it or not, a fishing captain tells Nugent, New Bedford used to be a fat city. Alive, healthy, too, and hopping. Now downtown is a ghost town. People are out of work or not sure if they'll have work in a month or so. With the way things are going for fishermen and factory workers the future is as good as gone.