Commercial Fishing

Washington fishermen catch more than 60% of the edible seafood harvested in the United States. In the past, due to the dangers of the ocean fishing industry, a high rate of vessel losses and fatalities occurred on our coastal waters.

Presently, certified safety trainings are being offered through Extension staff to local fishermen on emergency preparedness, safety orientation and on-board drills. These trainings meet the federal requirements of the Commercial Fishing Vessel Safety Act and have resulted in the saving of lives and fishing equipment.

The Coastal Storms Initiative, supported through the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), includes outreach programs through WSU Extension to improve marine weather forecasts off the Oregon and Washington coasts. The project has provided the necessary monies to be used for outreach efforts in the Columbia River area. This project has provided the necessary support for the installation and maintenance of a second weather sea buoy at the mouth of the Columbia River, providing greatly enhanced marine weather forecasting and sea condition reports for mariners.

The federal Trade Assistance Act of 2002 includes the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program for commercial salmon fishermen, making them eligible for compensation due to foreign import competition. Applicants are required to complete a technical assistance workshop with Extension, and more than thirty of these programs were held throughout the state in 2004. A new series of workshops has been scheduled by Steve Harbell for 2005, serving fishermen under the second year of this program. For more information about the TAA program, and workshop schedule, call the Extension Office in Elma at 360-482-2934.