Tag Archives: Gig Harbor
Commercial Fisherman Andrew (Andy) Paul Babich of Gig Harbor, Wa. has passed away
Andrew (Andy) Paul Babich passed away peacefully at home in Gig Harbor, WA, surrounded by loved ones, on November 16, 2024, at the age of 58. He was born May 16, 1966, to Nick and Delia (DeeDee) Babich in Tacoma, WA. He remained a lifelong third-generation resident and commercial fisherman of Gig Harbor. Andy spent his childhood years on Chinook Avenue with brothers, friends, and cousins, and never missed an opportunity to spend time with his Dad on the F/V Sonia, and later the F/V Maria. After his Dad passed in 1985, 19-year-old Andy, alongside his brother, Nick, took over the family fishing operation in Alaska and on Puget Sound, becoming one of the youngest captains in the fleet. In 1997, he purchased the F/V Ocean Dream, fishing salmon, squid, sardines, and Dungeness crab with his younger brother, Mike, who crewed with him for many years. more, >>CLICK TO READ< 11:08
Local man helping auction relics from Western Flyer, a boat famously connected to Steinbeck
How much would you pay to own one-of-a-kind pieces of fishing, environmental, scientific and literary history? Could you be an “angel?” Those are questions inspired by a Wauna man’s quest. Michael Hemp, a vibrant, engaging and consistently curious 81-year-old whose business card lists him as “Historian, Heritage Marketing & Communications Consultant, Researcher, 
Archivist, Lecturer, Novelist,” seeks a buyer for a brass steering wheel, a hefty engine shift lever and two gimballed compasses. The items are original pieces from a 76-foot-long purse seiner fishing boat built in Tacoma 87 years ago. It is similar in design and purpose to hundreds launched there, in Gig Harbor, and in other Northwest boatyards during the 20th century. One big distinction: All four artifacts once were crucial and original parts of arguably the world’s most famous purse seiner, a title earned because a couple of friends chartered it in Monterey, California, in 1940 for a six-week cruise of research and exploration in Mexico. Video, Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:39
Letter to the Editor | Linda Pitcher’s ‘The Fleet’ created a lasting impact on Gig Harbor Fishermen
When Linda Pitcher arrived in Gig Harbor a few years ago, she brought with her a PhD in anthropology from Berkley. She stumbled upon our small community and its rich history of fishing, eventually becoming a volunteer at the History Museum. That’s where I first met her, sharing anecdotes about my family’s deep-rooted connection to commercial fishing. My grandfathers were among the early crew members at the turn of the 20th century. Then my Dad’s father made his mark, purchasing his first boat, the San Marco, and later partnering in the Mermaid II. Linda spent several years meticulously piecing together information on all the commercial fishing boats that operated out of Gig Harbor. It was a daunting task, and she enlisted the help of Lita Dawn Stanton (Ancich).by Ken Malich, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:47
Crew School provides a reality sea trial for commercial fishing wanabees
Along Gig Harbor’s waterfront, this vocational trend is gently materializing in the form of a newly organized Crew School for potential commercial fishermen — and women. During March, seven people completed this hands-on training program that essentially offers a reality-based test drive for those interested in commercial fishing aboard a 58-foot purse seiner. Lifelong local fisherman and purse seine captain Gregg Lovrovich is program lead and creator of the crew-in-training curriculum. He coaches rookies through knot skills, gear maintenance, net setting/handling, safety and survival skills, not to mention the realities of living for months in a 58-foot space with 3-4 crew members who get all too familiar with one another. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 13:04
Commercial fishing fleet still waiting for its homeport
Members of Gig Harbor’s fishing fleet have waited more than a decade for the city to build a Commercial Fishing Homeport, which has been part of the plan for Ancich Park since 2013. It looks like they will have to wait at least another year. Negotiations between the city and the National Marine Fisheries Service over mitigation for the $3.2 million project have stalled. The city likely will miss the so-called “fish window” for overwater construction this year. The city already has a design, local and state permits, and financing — including a substantial donation from the Gig Harbor Commercial Fishermen’s Club. But it doesn’t have the go-ahead from NMFS, which determines what mitigation is necessary to proceed. For the local commercial fishing industry, the clock is ticking. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 06:36
The Harbor Fish Co. is Gig Harbor’s next-gen fishing family
Wild, packed with nutrients, and heart-healthy. For Gig Harbor residents, a local fishing family provides direct delivery of fresh wild Alaskan-caught salmon to your doorstep. Alex James and Zack Worrell launched their company, The Harbor Fish Co., in 2022 to connect Gig Harbor with high-quality wild-caught Alaskan salmon, Dungeness crab, and striped shrimp harvested from the pristine and icy waters of southeast Alaska. The company is anchored in Gig Harbor and Juneau, Alaska. “We started it because we wanted to get a good product to our community. Food is such a great way to bring people together,” explains Alex. Inspired by their connection to the sea, she believes their fishing business can help “nourish the community” with “wild, sustainable, and nutritious food.” She also encourages consumers to learn more about their food. photos, links, more, >>click to read<< 09:50
Crab fishing remains lucrative, critical industry for Gig Harbor fishermen
Off the coast of Washington, several Gig Harbor residents are hard at work on crab fishing boats, handling all that comes with the job. A handful of Gig Harbor residents hold commercial crab fishing licenses. Several others are crab license lease holders. The state capped the number of available commercial crab fishing licenses at 220 in the 1990s. The intent was to manage crab populations, and also limit the amount of gear in the water to protect other sea life, such as whales, said Dan Ayers, coastal shellfish manager with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. Commercial crab fishing was an estimated $86 billion industry in Washington state in 2022. That total includes boat sales, gear, and processing facilities that handle the harvests. >click to read< 09:24
This Gig Harbor fishing vessel is almost 100. Here’s the latest on its next life.
The wooden vessel, built in 1925, is looking better today. Now at the Harbor History Museum, it’s taking shape as a permanent exhibit that will tell the story of the boat and also the history of Gig Harbor’s commercial waterfront. The Shenandoah was built in the Skansie Shipyard. The Janovich family started fishing the boat in about 1967, and owner Tony Janovich donated it to the museum in 2000. Their largest catch was about 8,600 sockeye. The purse seiner was hauled out of the water in 2003, and crews have been restoring it since. Video, >click to read< 08:29
Gig Harbor’s iconic F/V Shenandoah is listed on the Washington State Historic Register
Gig Harbor’s historic fishing vessel Shenandoah has won a berth on the Washington State Historic Register. In a vote taken last Tuesday, June 27, the state Department of Archaeology and Historical Preservation agreed to accept the 97-year-old purse seiner as an “historical object” worthy of preservation. “With this listing it, becomes eligible for more potential grant funding.” The 64-foot Shenandoah was build in 1924 at Gig Harbor’s Skansie Shipyard, during what historians now call the “golden age” of purse seiner construction. (It was named for a popular airship, not the river.) The Purse Seiner Shenandoah is a classic example of a wood-hulled Puget Sound purse seiner from the early to mid-twentieth century. >click to read< 22:02
Working Waterfront: Fifth-generation fisherman counts on sixth generation to take his place
Greg Veitenhans was destined to be a fisherman. His father fished, as did his father, going back five generations. And growing up in Gig Harbor, Veitenhans was surrounded by fishermen. “Back then everybody fished,” “When I was a kid that’s what you did; either you fished or you were too young to fish or you were too old to fish.”,,, He’s also fished up and down the West Coast for salmon, halibut, sardines, and squid, among other fish. Alaska has always been the go-to, however. “You can go to Alaska broke and you know you’re gonna come back with something. But you go to California broke, you may never come back; you may not have enough to even get home on,” Henry, now 20, first accompanied his father to Alaska at age 8, and has done so every summer since. Joey, now 18, began fishing at 10. At first, the Veitenhans boys were under the impression that they’d be going off for a fun family vacation with their dad, before realizing that it entailed hard work in the wet, cold Alaska weather. Excellent story!! >click to read< 15:42
I get a lot of e-mails. Sometimes, I’m quite surprised!
Was going through the endless e-mails, and I found this, about a photographer in Washington that takes some magical photo’s of the people and vessels plying the trade.,, The name of my company Wandering 101 Photography was thought up as I was taking one of my favored drives from my home in Washington State down highway 101 to California. My name is Bryan S. Peterson and I am an art photographer based out of Gig Harbor, Washington. >click to read, and review!< OH! He sells them, too! 14:56
