.........Commercial Fishing in Province Town started in the late 1780's. The deep water of the Province Town harbor made it possible for large ships to moor close to town. Cape Cod waters yielded large catch's. Many types of fish were caught including Cod. Cod fish where dried and salted for export. Old pictures of Provence Town reveal tables of Cod fish being dried and salted in the yards of houses. Cape Cod was famous for the salted Cod fish.

..........Whales in the 1800 's were hunted for their meat and oil. Large ships would search for groups of whales to hunt. In the 1800's whales were abundant. A ship would sail close to a group and shoot harpoons into the heads of unsuspecting whales. After a struggle and a futile attempt to get away the whales where then dragged aboard and cut up for their meat and oil.

..........Major changes over the years have made whaling illegal in the USA and in most countries. Still, there are a few countries whaling Like Norway and Japan, but for most of the world whaling is part of the past.

..........Whales are no longer hunted for there meat, But for their beauty. In Massachusetts the harpoon has been replaced with camera. The spectacle of watching whales doing what whales do! Has become big business. Whale watching ships make their profits from the appreciation of the whales not decimation of them.

.........Tourists and scientists alike find whale watching a hypnotic experiance. A bond can form between the two species human and whale. I found this to be true when I fist saw a whale up close. Its seems like the whales put on a show for you. Their big, playful and fun to watch. And taste good too! (just kidding).

..... ...Commercial fishing boats have docked at the Macmillan Pier for over century. Until recently the fishing industry has been a strong part of the economy in cape cod. But commercial fishing has been restricted due to new regulations to protect fish stocks. Scientists say that the Cape Cod bay has been over fished for years and as a result fish numbers have been dramatically reduced. So commercial fishing has been severely restricted. Because of the restriction many boat have stopped fishing all together.

... .....The regulations make it very hard on the few that are hanging on. After paying for maintenance on your boat and fuel to fish, you may not make enough to make it worth while to fish at all.

... .....There is a rich history of the Portuguese fisherman in Province Town. Generations past and preset have immigrated to America to make a better life for themselves. For years families have been fishing in these waters in cape Cod Bay and making a good living at it. In the last ten years making a living commercial fishing has really been hard and almost impossible.

.... ....Its not easy being a Commercial fisherman. Sometimes a young man would start out by working on the docks unloading the catch from fishing boats. Boats are unloaded at the dock and the fish is stored in a large walk-in refrigerators. Unloading the boats is done by shoveling fish on to a scale. The fish are weighted then the scale is swung back over the dock and dumped into a box with ice. This process continues till the boat is unloaded. Each box weighs about 100lbs and has to be loaded into a refrigerator or a truck for delivery.

.... ....After shoveling 60lbs loads of fish all day your tired. And if the catch is going to the market you still have to load the truck. The fish are loaded on to refrigerated truck and then shipped to market. If the fishing is good you could keep busy working, and making money.

...... ..After a couple of years of packing out boats you can work your way on to a boat as a crew member. Working on the boat is a hard wet dangerous job, but you can make more money. After years out at sea and if you haven't drank yourself to death or lost your arm in the rigging, you might captain a boat one day. Then Maybe your own boat!

.........Some families have been fishing for generation's. Fishing is not just a job, but a way of life. Its a hard job that you work at your whole life and by the time you get good at it, your to old to do it any more!

.........Commercial fishing boats are expensive to run and is a 24 hour job..When you sacrifice everything that you have like your time, money maybe even some body parts. Its not easy just to stop fishing.