Remember When Matt Damon Threw Shade at New Bedford?

Anyone who is into documentaries might want to check out this gem of Matt Damon narrating and appearing in an environmentally-themed video about New Bedford. In it, Damon is speaking about the working waterfront and how it is affecting fish populations.

What the heck, Matt Damon? Do you truly believe New Bedford is the sole problem for diminishing fish populations? Yes, this city at one point of time lit up the country with its abundant supply of whale oil that decimated the whale population, but that's in the past.

This documentary focused on the fact that through the research of scientists, reports are showing that the final 10 percent of the world's fish, specifically the larger ones, are now being consumed by seafood lovers – and think of where we might be now, considering this information was released 10 years ago. To me, that's hard to believe since the ocean is so vast and widely undiscovered, but I'm also not a marine biologist or anything.

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Damon's final words pose an interesting question: "Is it within our power to undo the damage that we have already done?"

Of course it is, but it's going to take more than just New Bedford to support the repopulation of the planet's large fish. As much as I respect this movement that Damon's backing, something just seems fishy (pun intended). Why it is believed that a thriving downtown area for fishing has now, and I quote, "become nothing but a tourist attraction" is beyond me. Perhaps come and visit, Damon, before making accusations behind a green screen for a check that's most likely well spent by now.

New Bedford's downtown area, in my opinion, is beautiful and bountiful with fishermen and local businesses that have made quite a name for themselves. Yes, the collapse of the Atlantic cod fishery created a ripple effect across fisheries worldwide, but I can ensure you, as a New Bedford resident, our fishing ports are still just as rich as they've always been.