Tag Archives: Newport
Lobsterman Eric Joseph Roggero of Newport, Rhode Island, has passed away
The family of Eric sadly announces his passing on April 20th in the loving care of Laura Blackwell and hospice. In lieu of donations his family requests you get your routine cancer screenings. By the time Eric graduated from Rogers he was already working on a career in the fishing industry. Luckily he had some great mentors including two grandfathers and two lobsterman brothers who helped him along the way. He was a natural on the bay and later on his own boat. The Donna Marie was his pride and joy. His family thanks the Newport fishing community for their very generous support during his illness. They mourn his loss with us. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:36
Newport Fishermen’s Wives work to show up whenever, or wherever, their community needs them
On a windy wet Saturday in January, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives end their annual meeting at Mo’s Seafood and Chowder on the bayfront and welcome visitors. As servers deliver tureens of clam chowder and platters of thick buttery toast, the group members stand to introduce themselves. Then, from the far end of the table, Denise Porter rises. “I started with the Fishermen’s Wives five years ago when my husband passed away,” Porter begins, noting that the anniversary of the capsizing that took Josh Porter’s life was just three days away. “First, I want to say I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for you,” Porter says. “You walked me through everything … This is my passion. This organization is amazing.” Founded in the 1970s, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives today is the public face of the fishing community, a band of women known for showing up wherever needed, whether it be serving casseroles at a funeral, providing safety gear for the fleet or helping a family make ends meet. Photos, more, >>click to read<< 20:46
Oregon Coast fishing families lean on Newport nonprofit following tough years
Newport, Oregon, resident Taunette Dixon knows how hard it can be to make ends meet in the fishing industry. “My family is a four generation fishing family,” Dixon said. “I married somebody that came from a four generation fishing family, so we’ve kind of been immersed in it all of our lives.” The last three years have been the worst Dixon’s ever had with the small boat the couple runs out of Newport. While she said her family is able to weather the challenging years, she’s seen need for aid grow through the nonprofit group she volunteers with, Newport Fishermen’s Wives. Fishing is a notoriously challenging and, at times, dangerous industry. But the pandemic hit nearly every industry hard in 2020 when the world economy came to a halt. The fishing industry was no different, and three years later it is still struggling to rebound. more, >>click to read<< 09:58
Caring Community: Newport Fishermen’s Wives seeking donations
Dear Community Partner, The Newport Fishermen’s Wives is a non-profit organization of fishermen’s wives, mothers, daughters, and friends, supporting a strong sense of community helping to further the causes of industry, safety, seafood education, and family support. Through the support of our community partners, we are able to provide a number programs to our fishing community such as an Emergency Fund (for local fishing tragedies) and funeral support, Fishermen’s Memorial Sanctuary, Holiday Outreach for fishing families, scholarship funds and the Blessing of the Fleet community lunch and boat parade. more, >>click to read<< 12: 06
Newport, Block Island preservation groups sue to stop offshore wind farms
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, two separate appeals against the approvals were also filed by the Southeast Lighthouse Foundation, based on Block Island. Both organizations are being represented by Washington D.C.-based law firm Cultural Heritage Partners PLLC. The four filings assert a case of regulatory capture that led the U.S. Department of Interior and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to “shirking its responsibility to the public and allowing corporate energy developers to set the terms for permitting,” and asks the court to issue a construction injunction and find the developers violated federal laws and regulations governing energy development, including the National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act. >>click to read<< 09:52
Commercial Fisherman Michael R. Price of Newport, Oregon, has passed away
Michael “Mikey Who” (as he was known to many) was born on February 25, 1955, in Coos Bay, Oregon to Roy L. Price and Jeanette G. (Bunker) Price. He graduated as an Honor Student from Pacific High School in 1973. That fall he enrolled in SOC at Ashland, Oregon. He attended SOC for 2 years then left to become a full-time commercial fisherman and he never looked back. His first boat was named the Abiquay. He fished for salmon and bottom fish at that time. He and his faithful dog, Quila, became well known on the Oregon and Northern California coast as fine fishermen. They made friends everywhere they traveled. >click to read< 12:08
Michele Longo Eder of Newport, Oregon has passed away
Michele Longo Eder was born on the Fourth of July, 1954 in Albany, N.Y., to Joseph and Betty Longo. She died at 68 in her oceanfront home at Agate Beach. Michele was taken by lung cancer, with metastasis to the brain. Forty-seven years an Oregonian, she loved this coast and its community. She came west after graduating with honors in political science from Johns Hopkins University. In 1988 she married Bob Eder, a commercial fisherman, Marriage to Bob enriched an already full life for Michele. She was now a mother to two sons, Ben, aged 7, and Dylan, aged 5. Helping them grow into the young men they became made every day challenging and worthwhile. Ben’s tragic death in 2001 in an accident at sea led to the publication of Michele’s book, “Salt In Our Blood: The Memoir of A Fisherman’s Wife.” To say Michele embraced the role of a fisherman’s wife does not begin to cover it. >click to read< 12:52
Fishing boat catches fire at Newport dock
The Newport Fire Department was dispatched to a marine fire at 7:16 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 22, aboard the fishing vessel Nordic Valor, which was tied up at Port Dock 3 on Yaquina Bay. A deckhand checking on the boat opened the door to the cabin and smoke poured out, according to a press release issued by the fire department. When firefighters arrived on scene, they found the vessel filled with smoke and heat. The fire started in the galley area of the vessel and was burning in hidden voids between the inner walls and the outer hull. The F/V Nordic Valor was tied up just across from the Chelsea Rose, an historic fishing vessel that now functions solely as a floating fish market. >click to read< 12:00
F/V Western Breeze has been raised
A Newport fishing vessel featured on a spinoff of the documentary series “Deadliest Catch” is back on top of the water, and presumably bound for dry dock, after sinking at the Port Dock 5 fuel dock on Thursday. The Western Breeze is owned by Gary Ripka, who also operates the similarly painted, smaller F/V Redeemer, and in 2016 was featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch: Dungeon Cove,” a Newport-based spinoff of the Emmy-winning series. Ripka purchased the Western Breeze, previously named Miss Melanie, as a bank repossession and rebuilt it, according to a testimonial on the Oregon Coast Bank website. Photos, >click to read< 07:27
Power to Port Dock 5 has been restored. F/V Western Breeze still on the bottom
12:03pm: Report of someone falling into the Yaquina River at Port Dock 5 in downtown Newport. Fire-Rescue and the Coast Guard are racing to the scene. 12:09pm: Unconfirmed report that a fishing boat leaned over in one direction, tossing occupant(s) into the river. The boat now has no one aboard. Reports from the scene say the boat is the Western Breeze. Photos, >click to read< 12:50
Newport Fishing Vessel sinking at Port Dock 5
At 12:02 PM on Thursday, June 9, 2022, Newport Fire Department was dispatched to a report of vessel sinking at Port Dock 5 on Newport’s Bay front. Upon arrival, units observed a commercial fishing vessel tied up near the fuel dock listing to its port side and sinking in water. After ensuring no lives were at risk, fire crews worked with officials from the Port of Newport and USCG Yaquina Bay to set containment and absorbing buoys around the vessel. The cause of the vessel sinking was under investigation. Representatives of the vessel owner are working with Port of Newport Officials to raise the vessel. >click to read< 19:36
Oregon: From the boat to the food truck
It’s a family affair for David and Amabelle Kimball, who own and operate Oregon Fishmongers, a food truck that serves Newport and Waldport. Their children, Gracie, 18, Sven, 17, and Jules, 13, help their parents on the truck, with Gracie taking orders and working the window while Sven and Jules help with cooking. “It’s a lot of fun,” Gracie said. “You can make your own hours and don’t have to work for the man. It’s great.” David worked as a chef for several years all over the country, so he has a background in the culinary field. The family boat, F/V Gracie Arlene, is a commercial vessel based out of Newport. He said opening the food truck was a logical step. >click to read< 17:49
Newport Fishermen’s Wives Preparing for the annual Blessing of the Fleet
It’s that time of year; Newport Fishermen’s Wives have started our planning for our 2022 Blessing of the Fleet. Everyone is welcome to join us. The recent tragedy of losing two lives on the White Swan III show us the importance of community support for our fleet and the loved ones that have lost someone to the sea or worry about losing a loved one to the sea. The Blessing of the Fleet is a community ceremony honoring local fishermen and their families. The blessing is open to any and all who wish to ask blessings on their fishing vessel, charter vessel, pleasure craft or research vessel. >click to read< 11:31
Missing fisherman’s house burns down
Hours after authorities suspended the at-sea search for the captain of a Newport fishing vessel, his Logsden house and an adjacent building caught fire and burned to the ground. The structure fire call came in at 5:13 p.m. Sunday,,, The fire compounded tragedy for a local family. The house and shop, on the site of a Christmas tree farm, were owned by fisherman Mike Morgan, whose boat capsized at around midnight Saturday off the coast of Florence. The body of a crew member, Billie Jo Hooton, was recovered by the U.S. Coast Guard, and a search for Morgan was suspended Sunday morning. >click to read< 13:43
Captain Michael John Morgan of Newport, Oregon has passed away
Michael John Morgan, 68, of Newport, Oregon passed away on March 26, 2022 after his fishing vessel, F/V White Swan III, capsized in the Pacific Ocean. Mike was born in Oakland, California in 1953 to US Coast Guard Lt. Col. Jack Morgan and Beth (both deceased). He would become the oldest of three siblings, followed by Douglas (deceased) and Patricia. At age 12, Mike’s family moved to Newport, when his father was stationed with the Yaquina Bay Coast Guard. Twelve year old Mike took to fishing immediately upon moving to Newport. Mike’s final resting place is at sea with his F/V White Swan III. >click to read< 11:14
F/V Winona J: Catching up with ‘Deadliest Catch Dungeon Cove’ crew
Captain Mike Retherford Jr. says he’s never been afraid for his life fishing off the Oregon Coast, but he’s witnessed some close calls in his lifetime of commercial fishing. Retherford, his family and crew were featured in the 2016 “Deadliest Catch” spin-off, “Dungeon Cove.” The F/V Winona J is just one of the vessels responsible for the Dungeness crab season’s record-breaking revenue. Video, photos, >click to read< 16:55
Newport Rhode Island’s commercial fishing industry faces challenging times
“Different? How are things different? Just look at it.” Gazing out over the water toward downtown Newport from a dock on Long Wharf, Denny Ingram, the burly captain of Blue Moon, is answering my question with a question. “Nothing’s the way it used to be. Nothing.” We’re standing on the last remaining pier dedicated to the city’s commercial fishing industry. The view is crowded with pleasure boats, mid-rise condos and high-end hotels. When Ingram started fishing nearly 40 years ago, the scene was quite different. Today, all of the businesses serving the commercial fishing industry have evaporated. You can’t even get ice locally. >click to read< 17:21
Commercial Fishermen/Marine Corp Veteran Mark Allen Chase has passed away in Newport, Oregon
Mark Allen Chase passed away on November, 28th 2021, at his home in Newport, Oregon, after a long and courageous battle with Neuroendocrine (carcinoid) cancer. Mark was born on June, 8th 1951, in Bellflower, California to his parents Ted and Shirley Chase. At a young age, Mark joined the Marine Corps and would serve in Vietnam where he earned a purple heart. He carried his patriotism and pride as a veteran with all he accomplished. After his service, His love of the ocean brought him to his 50 year career as a commercial fisherman and his home to Newport, Oregon. He owned and operated the fishing vessel F/V Norma M out of Newport and raised his four children to be avid fishermen as well. >click to read< 16:21
Newport, Oregon: Motor Lifeboat Victory’s last voyage
At about 2 a.m. Wednesday, the 52-foot motor lifeboat Victory left the boathouse at U.S. Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay for the final time — nearly 65 years to the day of when she first arrived in Newport. The storied vessel did not leave under her own power but was towed behind a 47-foot motor lifeboat.,, For decades after arriving in Newport at the end of 1956, she was the station’s workhorse, capable of towing more than 750 tons and holding 40 survivors. She is self-righting and self-bailing and could motor through towering seas in hurricane-force winds, and countless local fisherman and other mariners owe their lives to her crews over the past seven decades. >Video, photos, click to read< 12:11
Reaching Out
I am Kimberly Jo Scott and I am looking for my cousin Wayne Willet. 6 years ago we lost contact. He has lived and worked in Newport for the last 30 years. Mostly on boats. There has been a family emergency and so I need to get ahold of him. Please let me know if you have a contact for him or pass my contact information onto him. Thank you so much, I greatly appreciate any information. My number is 541)321-1029
Newport’s Dory Fleet hopes hopes to survive the massive oil spill
The Dory Fleet is an iconic beachfront business, starting in 1891 when a fisherman started marketing to the public on the beach. These days, four families sell fish as a co-op set right on the sand. As a fourth-generation Dory Fleet fisherman operating there since 1902, Scott Breneman and his family have endured challenging times, even surviving the Great Depression. It’s a business that, like the ocean, has an ebb and flow, facing challenges like ever-changing fishing regulations, shellfish bacteria that can restrict crab and lobster catch, sewage spills and more. “A bunch of stuff out of our control,” he said. “I would be out on the boat fishing right now,” he said. “I can’t get out of the harbor.” >click to read< 19:24
Sara Skamser remembered as trailblazer, innovator in the commercial fishing industry
As news of Sara Skamser’s death spread across the community last week, people were mourning her passing but also celebrating the life of the woman who made such a huge impact in the fishing industry and on everyone who knew her.,, Commenting on a social media post from the Fishermen’s Wives about Skamser’s death, dozens of people shared their sadness and condolences. She was called “gutsy,” “a great teacher,” “a bright light in everything she did,” and “a tough cookie.” One commenter said Skamser was the “trawl goddess of the West Coast and one of the smartest, funniest, concerned, compassionate and generous people you would have ever met.” >click to read< 08:56
Fisherman saved by OSU research vessel when his fishing vessel went down in heavy seas
Frank Akers, 70-year-old owner and operator of the 50-foot F/V Lanola, said he was about 38 miles west of Newport heading eastbound in heavy seas at about 10 p.m. on Aug. 28, when the first of a series of waves collided with his vessel, giving him only minutes to escape. Akers said he believes the first wave that struck the vessel had a log in it because he heard a crash. After the second wave hit, he looked back and saw his stern go under. His bilge alarms went off and he radioed a mayday call. >click to read< 21:06
Newport, Oregon: Fishing vessels collide at sea in thick fog
U.S. Coast Guard crews safely escorted two small fishing vessels, one of which was taking on water, back to the dock after they apparently collided in thick fog about 12 miles offshore early Wednesday morning. The Coast Guard will investigate the cause of the incident, which was called into Station Yaquina Bay shortly after 5 a.m. Both fishing boats, F/V Chief Joseph and F/V Linda were still operable, but the Linda sustained damage to its hull and was taking on water. The Coast Guard crew passed over a pump in case it was needed to keep the fishing vessel afloat. >click to read< 13:54
New ice plant at terminal, Community Ice
After the F/V Evolution took on eight tons of flake ice last Friday, Oct. 16, Ed Backus, general manager of Community Ice, walked out the gangway to thank the captain. It wasn’t the first time the boat filled up at the new ice plant. “It’s good ice,” the News-Times overheard someone on the boat tell Backus. The F/V Evolution is a shrimping boat, mixing in the ice as the shrimp is loaded on board. When delivered, the ice and the shrimp are mixed. “What’s important to a shrimp vessel is that the ice stays cold and loose, so they can shovel it easily when they’re mixing it with the harvested product,” Backus said. >click to read< 18:12
In Newport, a coronavirus outbreak spreads to local economy
Pacific Seafood ceased operations at all five of its Newport plants. The Oregon Health Authority said the outbreak is contained to Lincoln County and that risk to the public is low. But Newport Mayor Dean Sawyer said most of those who tested positive are locals. The town’s economy is hurting again without a major fish buyer and supplier. And businesses are shutting back down to try to slow the spread of the virus. “They live here, they work here, they’re community-based people,” Sawyer said. “And, of course, the problem with that is that people live and work with people that work in other industries.” >click to read< 12:16
UPDATED: 124 cases reported – Pacific Seafood Coronavirus outbreak due to out-of-state workers, say former employees
James Nelson, a 10-year veteran at Pacific Seafood, said he had to quit his job May 8, “due to the COVID-19 virus,” and said he was forced to resign after expressing concern over the company bringing in “100+ migrant workers” from California to process seafood in Newport. Nelson said he would not put his family’s safety in jeopardy because implanting workers from a more contaminated area was too dangerous. He brought his concerns to managerial staff and said some had their own concerns, but they told him the higher-ups made the decisions. >click to read< 09:39
124 coronavirus cases reported at Pacific Seafood facilities in Newport – Pacific Seafood on Sunday disclosed that 124 of its employees and local contractors have tested positive for coronavirus in what is the second largest workplace outbreak of the virus in the state to date. >click to read< 10:43
Back in the Saddle
Former county commissioner Terry Thompson emerged from his first commercial fishing expedition since his stroke four months ago with a heavy haul of ling cod destined for a premier seafood restaurant in Newport. Flashing the familiar Thompson grin, Terry said he had plenty to smile about — his emerging victory over stroke, the return to fishing, the miracle that saved his best friend’s life and unexpected recognition. >click to read<10:17
BREAKING: Doomed captain was responsible for at-sea mishaps, possible assault
The saga of a captain who appeared to be neither a proper master of his ships nor his own impulses is unfolding at a Coast Guard hearing in Newport, with testimony giving details about the man sleeping at the wheel, using marijuana, displaying intoxication and possibly assaulting another person aboard his boat. Investigators earlier in the week revealed Biernacki had methamphetamines and alcohol in his system when he died. >click to read<17:37
Hand on doomed Oregon boat texted, called wife before death – click to read<08:38
On Mothers Day – A mother’s cry for help while she tries to save her son…
A message from a very concerned mother… Alex Ashton is my 22 year old son who was diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma in October 2018. He took a leave of absence from work to receive treatment over the following 6 months. Since the chemo ended he went back to work but recently we found out through a PET scan that the cancer is still there and Alex is now receiving treatment farther from home at OHSU in Portland. Alex is unable to work. We need to make numerous trips to OHSU and to relocate to Portland for at least a month so Alex can receive a Stem Cell Transplant. We also need to maintain our home in Newport so we have a place to come to when Alex’s treatment is complete. >click to read, and donate if you can<14:01
