[1] Historic New England has made available online stories of the fishing industry in Portsmouth. This collection of oral histories includes interviews with Erik Anderson, lobsterman; Jay Driscoll, fisherman; Evelyn Marconi, proprietor of Geno’s Coffee Shop; and Geno Marconi, lobsterman. Learn more about this rapidly disappearing community: 

As part of our 100 Years, 100 Communities initiative, [2] Historic New England presents stories of the commercial fishing industry in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

With increasing federal restrictions on commercial fishing, and as Portsmouth becomes a city of second homes and condominiums, fishing families are no longer able to make a living in the once productive port, so there is little incentive for young fishermen to begin careers in the industry. Unlike fishing communities in Maine and Massachusetts, Portsmouth fishermen are not part of an ethnic group that preserves their tradition, and as a result the twentieth-century history of seacoast fishing in this area is fading away.

Historic New England has collected oral histories and images from the practitioners of this threatened industry. Highlights of the project will be displayed at the [3] Discover Portsmouth Center. You can hear a selection of stories and read transcripts [4] online.