One Square Mile

Before he pleaded guilty to flouting federal catch limits and smuggling money, Carlos Rafael, nicknamed " the Codfather ," controlled the largest groundfishing fleet that sailed out of New Bedford. How are the city’s fishing industries moving forward after the trial? What does the future hold for groundfishing and other fisheries? What are the biggest promises and challenges? What lessons can be learned from Carlos Rafael?

Larry and Loretta are my neighbor’s cats. And they love their canned cat food. To understand why just read the ingredients on the label. Ocean white fish. Fish broth. Tuna. Those ingredients are actually fish by-products. Fish guts. Fish livers. Fish intestines. Fish skins. They’re what fish processors like Bergie’s Seafood in call “trash.”

Darn It! Inc. is a company that has thrived because of -- rather than in spite of -- the overseas manufacturing that has put so many American textile companies out of business. As part of our series “One Square Mile: New Bedford,” Darn It! founder and president Jeff Glassman told RIPR's Dave Fallon what the company does, how it came to be, and why he's optimistic about New Bedford. The city was once home to dozens of textile mills and clothing companies, and it’s still known for men’s suit-maker

Standing on New Bedford’s Acushnet Avenue, René Moreno runs into a man who grew up in the same village he did in Guatemala. They talk for a couple of minutes, and although you might assume they are speaking in Spanish, they aren’t. They’re speaking K’iche, a Mayan language spoken in the highlands of Guatemala.

Is the scallop fishery well-managed? Most people, including scallop fishermen, scientists, and environmentalists, had the same answer: yes.

As part of our series One Square Mile: New Bedford, we look at the “Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Round the World”, painted by New Bedford artists Benjamin Russell and Caleb Purrington.

Mike Goodman, executive director of the Public Policy Center at UMass-Dartmouth, joins Political Roundtable to discuss the evolution of New Bedford, the economic outlook for southeastern Massachusetts, and the impact of provincialism in the region.

Mike Goodman, director of the Public Policy Center at UMass-Dartmouth, joins Bonus Q&A to discuss the popularity of Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, the outlook for expanding wind power in New Bedford, why RI students lag their peers in the Bay State, and much more.

The Port of New Bedford is often touted as the most lucrative in North America. That’s thanks mainly to the popularity, and apparent abundance, of scallops. But the success of scallops may be masking hard times for other parts of the fishing industry.

(This the second part of a two-part story. Read part one here .) Andrew Dillon has had a front row seat to the opioid epidemic in New Bedford. His diner is a favorite for local fishermen.

The harbor is one of the largest EPA Superfund sites in the country, and a reminder of the city’s industrial waterfront.

(This is the first part of a two-part story. Read part two here. ) Commercial fishing consistently ranks as one world’s most dangerous jobs, which may help explain why fishermen have been hit hard by the opioid epidemic.

New Bedford's mayor is a former federal prosecutor whose grandfather was a fisherman. As part of our series One Square Mile: New Bedford, Rhode Island Public Radio takes a tour with Mayor Jon Mitchell for a look at the city he'd led for half a decade.

As part of RIPR’s One Square Mile: New Bedford series, RIPR’s Chuck Hinman talks with Lee Blake, the president of the New Bedford Historical Society, about New Bedford’s prominent role in the abolitionist movement in the mid-18 th century.

For the past eight years, New Bedford has been advocating for offshore wind and preparing their port to service offshore wind projects. But why is the city betting on this industry?