Tag Archives: Westport
Craving seafood? Check out Westport’s Fresh Catch
The signs are everywhere as you drive into town, everything from oyster farms to fishing vessels offering up the ocean’s bounty with handmade, roadside advertisements. Westport on Washington’s coast is the place to find a fresh catch. So, the 9th largest commercial seaport in the nation went to work to put some of their bounty directly into the hands of visitors, one fish at a time. Westport’s Fresh Catch is a program that uses its website and a huge dockside sign to show visitors what’s in season – and exactly where to find it when they come to town. For example, craving fresh caught tuna? The sign will guide you to what month it’s generally available (July, August, September and October) and then to the fishing vessel Jetstream on float number 7. This is where Richard Toal sells tuna that he just caught, right off his boat. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:25
Coast Guard suspends search for missing Westport vessel
The Coast Guard suspended the search for the fishing boat F/V Evening and her two crew, homeported out of Westport, on Wednesday morning after several days of searching. The search began Sunday for the fishing boat when a family member reported them overdue returning, according to Coast Guard public affairs specialist Petty Officer 2nd Class Steve Strohmaier. “Coast Guard members at Station Grays Harbor in Westport received a call from the daughter of one the men stating their father was already supposed to have returned home from the fishing trip,” Strohmaier said in an email. “She was not sure of their intended destination, so the Coast Guard had a wide search area.” >>click to read<< 09:33
Westport: Clear skies grace annual Blessing of the Fleet
A steady onshore breeze carried the smell of salt air over the assembled crowd at the Westport Fisherman’s Monument on Sunday as civilians, emergency personnel and Coast Guardsmen gathered to remember those claimed by the sea over the years. More than 50 fishermen and Coast Guardsmen from the area had set out and not returned, given over to the ocean, and that afternoon, the community gathered to remember them. “It means everything. Our job is to protect the fleet,” said surfman and bosun’s mate Petty Office 2nd Class Victoria True, a Coast Guardsman at Coast Guard Station Grays Harbor, who read the list of the Coast Guardsmen who had died at sea. “It’s our community too. We’ve got their backs.” Photos, >click to read< 20:09
Westport and Tokeland drop their crab pots in anticipation of today’s commercial crab opener
At 8 a.m. this past Sunday, “Dump Day” took over the ports at Westport and Tokeland. The pots have been “soaking.” Commercial crabbers were allowed to pull pots they dropped on Sunday, starting at 8 a.m. today, Wednesday, Feb. 1. Jeremy Hammond, 50, Tokeland, is a deckhand for the Southern Cross, a fishing boat moored in Tokeland. His dad was a Bering Sea captain. He spent 12 years fishing the Bering Sea, an inhospitable water full of wind and waves and severe cold. Fit as a fiddle, this past Saturday he manhandled the crab pots as he filled the hull and then the deck of the Southern Cross. Hammond has a softer side, playing guitar, writing his own songs. He has a baby grand piano in his living room. But his essence is as a fisherman. “I’m excited to go out there and make a paycheck,” he said. >click to read< 13:36
Retired Commercial Fisherman Jerome Lee “Jerry” Green Sr., of Westport has passed away
Jerome Lee “Jerry” Green Sr., 83, longtime Westport resident and former commercial fisherman, passed away on March 9, 2022, at his home in Westport, Washington. Jerry was born on Feb. 3, 1939, in Hayward, Wisconsin, the first boy born in the Hayward Indian Hospital and the eldest of seven children. In 1971, Jerry married the love of his life Joyce Johnson. They enjoyed working together in the commercial fishing industry and spending time in Alaska during fishing season. They built a beautiful life together, that included large family gatherings and spoiling all of the grandkids. Joyce passed away in 2007. Jerry built and owned several boats including Jer’s Joy, Lady Joyce and Early Dawn. >click to read< 15:04
Meet the Merchant: Kurt Englund, Englund Marine & Industrial Supply
Describe what Englund Marine & Industrial Supply does and who it serves. “We supply fishing gear and boat parts for commercial and recreational fishermen and marine applications. We also stock a full line of industrial supplies. A lot of it goes to our local mills, loggers, construction companies, fabricators, municipalities and so on. And we get a lot of general residents in for home projects as well.” Tell me about the history of Englund Marine,,, >click to read< 11:05
Charter fishing fleet casts wary eye toward possible fishing cutbacks to save orcas
Pacific Northwesterners are undeniably fond of their endangered resident killer whales. Many locals are also fans of salmon fishing, a hobby that sustains charter fishing fleets in coastal harbors from Neah Bay, Washington, to Brookings, Oregon. But now there is a chance future fishing trips on the ocean could be curtailed to leave more food for the killer whales. Regulators are preparing to reassess the Pacific salmon harvest and an environmental lawsuit seeks more action to save orcas. >click to read<
Westport Crab Races, derby and more in Westport this weekend
A seafood feast, crab races, crab and clam derbies with cash prizes, and the annual Whale of a Sale are all on tap this weekend in Westport.,,, The nonprofit commercial fishing group WEfish and the Washington Dungeness Crab Association are hosting the annual crab derby. The marina will be thoroughly stocked with Dungeness crab ahead of time, and each crab is marked with a cash value, ranging from $25 to the $500 grand prize. The derby starts at 8 a.m. and goes until 7 p.m. >click to read<09:50
Fun and food at Westport’s “Weekend with the Fleet” this weekend
The annual Weekend with the Fleet celebration in Westport will honor the commercial fishing industry and the maritimers who gave their all this Memorial Day weekend. There will be vendors featuring arts and crafts stations, fishing competitions, Sea Scout displays, a beer garden and more starting today. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Westport Maritime Museum grounds at 2201 Westhaven Drive. Then at 7:30 p.m. is the Light the Dock celebration along Westhaven Drive. It features luminary displays honoring maritime professionals who lost their lives at sea. Luminaries are available for purchase at the event.,,, Sunday will feature the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony beginning at 1 p.m. at the Fishermen’s Memorial on Neddie Rose Drive,,>click to read<
Westport crabber sentenced for stealing commercial pots
A Grays Harbor County judge has sentenced a commercial crab fisherman to 90 days of electronic home monitoring and fined him $5,000 for stealing crab pots offshore of Westport, concluding a case that began with an investigation last year by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Larrin Brietsprecher, 57, of Westport, was sentenced Dec. 1 by Grays Harbor County Superior Court Judge Mark McCauley after a jury found him guilty of possessing stolen property and related charges. Beginning May 1, click here for press release 17:28
Westport Blessing of the Fleet ceremony this Sunday
Westport’s 55th Annual Blessing of the Fleet Ceremony will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday. Community members and visitors are invited to join area clergy for a short ceremony at the Fishermen’s Memorial at the turnaround of Neddie Rose Drive in Westport’s Marina District. The program is given in remembrance of those whose lives have been taken by the sea and to ask the Lord’s blessing for those who continue to go out on the waters to make a living or to help seafarers in trouble. For the first time, as a part of the Weekend with the Fleet festival, commercial fishing vessels will also gather off Point Chehalis to form an offshore Nautical Honor Guard during the Blessing of the Fleet ceremony this year. Read the rest here 17:51
Woman found dead on a fishing boat in Westport
Digby RCMP are currently investigating the death of a woman in Westport. RCMP received a 911 call about 5 p.m. Dec. 22, which led police to a fishing vessel at a public wharf in Westport. RCMP found a 20-year-old female deceased on the boat. Digby RCMP Cpl. Sean Boulger said the death is unexplained. “We are trying to figure out how she came to be on that boat,” he said. “The community is cooperating and obviously this is very upsetting for the family.” The family of the deceased woman has been notified. Read the article here 10:53
Washington town highlights its salmon fishing history
The small Pacific Coast town of Westport, Washington, is celebrating its centennial this summer, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect with salmon fishing resembling the “good old days.” Read more here 15:40
