Waterfront Wednesday News

March 13, 2024

Bellingham Seafeast Opens Vendor Call for 2024

Salmon from Lummi Nation being smoked at Bellingham Seafeast 2023. Photo: Bellingham Seafeast

Bellingham Seafeast is calling all vendors and participants who want to be a part of the Seafeast 2024 event! Sign-ups for vendor-space are now open for the October 4th and 5th seafood celebration. This year, Seafeast expands to offer year-round programming, making this unique festival even bigger than before.

Check out Bellingham Seafeast's brand new website, and if you're interested in reserving your vendor space for the event, follow the link below:

Real Time Data Secures Strategic Investment

Deckhand Logbook offers data and reporting to commercial fishermen. Photo: Deckhand Logbook

[Bellingham, WA] – Real Time Data, a global provider of advanced data collection solutions for the commercial seafood industry, announced today that the company has secured a strategic investment from Builders Vision, a Chicago-based impact platform dedicated to building a more humane and healthy planet. The partnership is the latest investment for the company, which has raised USD $750,000 in this round, including from existing investors who have a strong belief in its success, and aims to enhance the capabilities of Deckhand Logbook. As Real Time Data's flagship electronic logbook technology, Deckhand Logbook captures catch, environmental, and fishing business data on the ocean. The technology was designed to better measure and promote sustainability in the fishing and seafood industry.

Deckhand Logbook, with a team headed up by Coalition President Lange Solberg, is a state-of-the-art electronic logbook technology that enables seafood industry professionals to collect and share comprehensive, accurate, and timely information about their activities, which saves users time and reduces the cost of operations and compliance.

To read more about Deckhand Logbook and Real Time Data, visit their website below:

Port of Bellingham and Coalition Await DERA News

The Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition and the Port of Bellingham collaborated last fall to submit an application for the E.P.A's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act - D.E.R.A - program. The program, titled "Whatcom Marine Vessel Diesel Engine Upgrade Program", would help connect our local fishing fleet and commercial vessel operators to D.E.R.A funding for upgrading their aging diesel engines.

The application was submitted on December 1st last year, and we are currently awaiting announcements on the status of the joint project and whether it is funded in this round of FY2022/2023 DERA awards. The project is currently scoped to support 10 sub-applicants for upgrade/re-power projects, and applicants will be considered on a first-submitted, first-considered basis of eligibility and other factors. 

Interested in the program? Want to be on the distribution list for receiving a Pre-Screening Application when it becomes available? Reach out to Info@whatcomworkingwaterfront.org for more information, and to add your name to the list.

Pre-Screening Applications will be made available at a date following the announcement of our project being funded. There will be a Pre-Screen Application emailed to interested parties and posted to the DERA page of the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition's website, located at: https://www.whatcomworkingwaterfront.org/dera

FAQs and information on requirements and eligibility are also available via the website, linked below:

Tide to Table Tickets Going Fast

Tickets for the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition's annual gala dinner and auction are going fast! This year we're pleased the dinner will take place at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal (Alaska Ferry Terminal) in Fairhaven. Our auction this year will be hosted by professional auctioneer Shannon Day, a professional auctioneer, joins us this year. Auction items include a chainsaw art piece by Proud Squirrel Art, a stay at the Hotel Leo with a kayak adventure, and a Hawaiian getaway. Bidding on some items will start the week prior to the event online, but to bid on our live-auction items, you'll need to roll up to this red-carpet event. 

Tickets are running out quickly, get your tickets via the button-link below.

Interested in being a Sponsor, Item Donor, or Volunteer?
We are always accepting sponsors, silent and live action items, and volunteers to help us throw a fabulous event. If you're interested in helping out, please email Info@whatcomworkingwaterfront.org to learn more and get involved. Your sponsorships, donations, and participation all go to help support our programs, outreach, and advocacy on behalf of the over 6,000 individuals who are directly and indirectly sustained by our shores and waters. Thank you for your support.

Check out the link below for more information or visit our website. We hope to see you Sat., April 20 in Old Hollywood style at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal.

Northwest Navigation Finalist in WBA Awards

M/V David B, operated by Christine & Jeffrey Smith of Northwest Navigation. Photo courtesy NW Navigation

Coalition member Northwest Navigation has been put into the 'Finalist' category for the Whatcom Business Alliance's annual awards ceremony. The awards gala happens annually and showcases the businesses and individuals who shape our county and our region. Northwest Navigation, and the M/V David B, operate out of Bellingham and SE Alaska, providing memorable excursions through the Inside Passage to that 'great, big, broad land way up yonder', as the poet, Robert Service, described it.

Our congratulations to Christine & Jeffrey Smith of Northwest Navigation for all their hard work and due accolades. If you're interested to know more about NW Navigation and the trips available, visit their website below:

Alaska Sea Adventures to Host Open House

Coalition member Alaska Sea Adventures hosts an open house to tour the M/V Northern Song offering more information on their Southeast Alaska and San Juan Island cruises. This Saturday, March 16, meet the crew and learn more about how you can see the whales, bears, wildlife, glaciers, experience fishing in Alaska and the incredible cruises they offer. Stop by the Bellingham Dockside fish market and pick up some tasty Alaskan black cod while you're down at the Bay.

What: Open House for M/V Northern Song

When: March 16, 2024   10:30a.m. - 2:30p.m.
Where: 722 Coho, Gate 3, Bellingham, WA 98225.  The boat will be parked in front of the restaurant Nicki's Bella Marina in Squalicum Harbor. Gate 3.

If you'd like to know more about the trips, contact them at Info@alaskaseaadventures.com

NW Maritime Apprenticeship Program On the Move

Exterior signage at 708 Coho Way went up last month, just in time for the State to mark 'Permanent Status' on the NW Maritime Apprenticeship Program

The Northwest Maritime Apprenticeship Program is growing and recently celebrated a milestone achieving "Permanent Registered Status" from the Washington State Apprenticeship and Training Council. Read more about the status and their new classroom & workshop space via the link below:

Bulletin Board for Commercial Fishing and Waterfront Trades

 Now Available

The Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition collaborated with the Port of Bellingham to install an physical bulletin board for our commercial fishing and marine trades tenants at the top of Gate 5 in Squalicum Harbor. This bulletin board will be moderated by Port and Coalition staff.  Our commercial fishing and trades tenants are encouraged to post their jobs, crew positions, and other relevant industry posts to the board. The board serves similar functions to the ones often seen at docks in Alaska where prospective crew often find opportunities for positions at sea via the bulletin boards at each dock.

If you have any questions on the board, or need assistance in posting to it, please contact our staff at Info@whatcomworkingwaterfront.org.

Fishermen and trades businesses on the waterfront are also encouraged to use our free digital bulletin board, available via the link below, for any needed online-postings of crew positions, jobs, or contracts:

A Statement on the Shipping Terminal Lease Default Notice

The Coalition has issued a statement regarding the ongoing conversations around the Port of Bellingham's Notice of Default to tenants at the shipping terminal. See the official statement release below:

Upcoming Waterfront & Coalition Events