This July 4th, we're reflecting on 250 years of commercial fishing in Massachusetts — an industry woven into the identity of this coast long before and long after 1776. 

We've put together a timeline tracing the arc of the industry that shaped this coast, and the science now working to sustain it. Coonamessett Farm Foundation is proud to be part of that story.

1776 to Today: 250 Years of Commercial Fishing in Massachusetts

Deep History: 10,000 Years on These Waters 

• Long before European settlement, the Wampanoag people fished the waters of Cape Cod Bay and the surrounding coastline using fishhooks, weirs and cast nets, guided by an intimate knowledge of seasonal fish migrations. 

• The name Coonamessett—the Wampanoag word for the American eel (Anguilla rostrata) and the namesake of the nearby river, serves as a reminder that these coastal waters have sustained people for thousands of years, long before the past 250 years of colonial history. 

Pre-Revolution & Founding Era 

• Before independence from Great Britain, Atlantic cod, mackerel, and river herring were among New England's most valuable fisheries. 

• Fishing ports such as Provincetown, Gloucester, Boston, and Marblehead became centers of maritime commerce, providing food, employment, and economic prosperity while helping to fuel the colonial economy and sustain the American Revolution. 

Early Republic (1776–1850) A New Nation, Same Ocean

• By the early 1800s, 1,300 vessels and 12,000 workers fished New England waters. 

• The highly productive fishing grounds on Georges Bank, 150 miles east of Cape Cod, had not been fully discovered or utilized.

Industrial Era (1850–1900) Whaling, Gloucester, and the First Conservation Law 

• New Bedford rapidly outpaces Nantucket to become the whaling capital of the world. Gloucester is recognized as the busiest fishing port in the western hemisphere. 

• Tub trawling techniques (the use of longlines and baited hooks) are pioneered and advanced by Cape Cod fishermen to replace single handline gear. 

• And in 1871, the U.S. established its first federal fisheries agency.

Early 20th Century (1900–1945) Steam Power

• Sailing vessels gave way to steam-powered trawlers. As a result of massive single trip landings, the first fishery observers are deployed on commercial fishing trips by the Boston Trawling Company. 

• Improvements in engine horse-power and work deck machinery allowed the fleet to begin targeting fast swimming species like haddock and redfish for expanding markets. 

• On the South Coast of Massachusetts, Captain Dan Mullins of New Bedford began adapting the traditional beam trawl into one of the region's earliest otter trawls. His innovations led to the development of the Eastern-rig dragger, a design that was widely adopted by the New Bedford fleet and helped establish the city's future as one of the nation's leading commercial fishing ports with highly mechanized vessels capable of fishing hundreds of miles from shore. 

• Two world wars briefly halted large-scale fishing, as many vessels were recommissioned to support war activities.

Post-War Boom (1945–1976) Abundance, Then Warning Signs 

• Post-war technology supercharged catch capacity and fish processing capabilities to feed a nation growing in population and prosperity. 

• Annual sea scallop landings steadily decreased in the 1960s as productive scallop beds were severely depleted without regulatory management structures. 

• Foreign factory trawlers joined American boats on the same grounds targeting groundfish species, squid, and Atlantic herring. 

• Regional fishermen and scientists began raising alarms as fish seemingly disappeared. In 1976, the Magnuson Act pushed foreign fleets out — but unknowingly, the damage to many stocks was already done.

Crisis & Management (1976–2000) New Bedford #1 — and a Fishery in Collapse 

• The American Fisheries Promotion Act of 1980 helped incentivize the expansion of the U.S. commercial fishing fleet, strengthened the transition to an Americanized fishing industry by eliminating most foreign fishing within U.S. waters, increased funding for the Saltonstall-Kennedy Grant Program, and reinforced federal management of the 200-nautical-mile Exclusive Economic Zone. 

• By 1984, New Bedford had become the nation's highest-value commercial fishing port. However, many groundfish stocks were in steep decline. Decades of overfishing, combined with delayed management action, ultimately culminated in a federal fishery disaster declaration in 2012. 

Recovery Era (2000–Present) Science, Scallops, and a Path Forward 

• Through invigorated industry participation in scientific research and data collection, new management approaches have helped drive partial recoveries of several fisheries. 

• Powered by the sea scallop fishery, New Bedford, Massachusetts has ranked first in the nation for commercial fishing landings by value for 23 consecutive years. 

• The question now is: Can science keep pace with a changing ocean? 

CFF Today

• At Coonamessett Farm Foundation, we are committed to advancing sustainable fisheries and science-based management that conserves marine resources while supporting resilient and diverse fishing communities. 

• Our research team is dedicated to leading the next chapter of fisheries innovation through collaborative research, protected species conservation, and environmental monitoring that informs the future of our changing oceans. 

Learn more about CFF’s work and browse all of our Current Projects developing a sustainable future in commercial fishing here in Massachusetts.