Waterfront Wednesday News

January 1, 2025

Wild Seafood Connection Returns to Bellingham

WILD SEAFOOD CONNECTION is a one-day conference aimed at the independent commercial fisherman who wants to learn about marketing and direct marketing to restaurants, retailers, brokers and seafood buyers.

• Hear from restaurants and retailers, brokers and seafood buyers about what they need from you.
  
  
• Hear from your colleagues about their business through small business case studies.
  
  
• Learn how to get your high-quality product to market.
  
  
• Learn about funding sources for business operations, new equipment, vessel repowers and new construction. State and federal sources, as well as private lending will be discussed.
  
  
• Valuable one-on-one round-table discussions with shipyards, direct marketers, funding experts and colleagues.

Learn more about the event and register via the link below: 

Port of Bellingham Releases Marine Trades Impact Study

The Port has released a new impact study for marine trades and Whatcom's maritime economy, the first study done of our waterfront economy since 2016 when Western Washington University's Center for Business and Economic Research released a report. The Port collaborated with the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition and contracted McKinley Research to compile the data and produce the study.

To read more about the study and view the graphics, follow the link below:

WA Sea Grant Offers Skills & Drills Training

WA Sea Grant is offering Skills & Drills courses to aid in your preparation to crew on a commercial fishing vessel. The training includes several aspects of onboard life and maintenance skills with training agent, Robert Maw, a professional fisherman and crew training specialist.

Cost is $100 per participant. All training materials, coffee and lunch are provided, and space is limited, so register soon!

When:  Thursday, March 27th - Friday, March 28th, 2025. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where: Bendikson Landing, 313 Robert Bush Drive, South Bend, WA

For more information, contact Robert Maw, rmaw@uw.edu.  To register, follow the link below:

The Alcoa site in Ferndale, where a new hydrogen facility may be located. Photo: Google Maps

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (DOE/EIS-0571) to assess the potential impacts to the human and natural environment for the proposed action of providing financial assistance to the Pacific Northwest Hydrogen Association (also referred to as the PNWH2 Association). This action would facilitate the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Pacific Northwest Regional Hydrogen Hub (Pacific Northwest Hub) within the states of Washington, Oregon, and Montana. The Pacific Northwest Hub would demonstrate the production of clean hydrogen from renewable energy resources and would consist of a suite of demonstration projects involving clean hydrogen production, transportation, and end-uses located within the Pacific Northwest. 

The hub in question would be facilitating the construction of a Hydrogen Production Facility at the Alcoa site in Ferndale with the goal of providing clean hydrogen fuel for export. The link below offers our public and communities the opportunity to comment on this proposed project and leave questions for the DOE to consider. Your input is important!

To learn more about the process and leave your comments, follow the link below:

Hycamite's design may allow ships to produce their own hydrogen fuel. Graphic: Hycamite TCD Technologies, Ltd.

Technology across the marine sector is developing quickly. An industry once viewed as lagging behind the modern energy transition is seeing more technology advances continue. Hycamite, based in Finland, explores the potential of methane-splitting to produce hydrogen and solid carbon, which will be stored and offloaded, and kept out of the atmosphere. Read more about this effort via the link below:

Coalition administrative staff reports on the work from under the hull of the Coalition in this new monthly update. Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2025! Check out the upcoming happenings related to our waterfront. Please click on the links to learn more. We hope to see you at some of these events!

Blue Drinks Q1 2025 - January 8th, 5:30pm

Join us at Drayton Harbor Oyster Company in Blaine to connect, learn, and share about our waterfronts!

Annual Coalition Member Appreciation Night - February 12th, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Join us at the Squalicum Boathouse in Zuanich Point Park. This annual evening celebrates our membership and also serves as a member-wide meeting to get direct feedback from members on programs, initiatives, and to help elect Board of Directors. Stick around after, from 7-8 p.m. for a mixer hour to connect with other members!

Crew Connections Mixer - February 26th, 5:30pm
Happening at Structure's Brewing on Holly Street, downtown Bellingham. Are you interested in a job onboard a commercial fishing vessel? Are you a captain or operator looking to connect with potential crew? Come out for this ages 16+ event (Structures is all-ages friendly) and chat with operators and interested crew, make connections, and begin your maritime adventure!

Wild Seafood Connection - February 27th, All Day
Hosted by the Port of Bellingham at the Holiday Inn on Mitchell Drive near the airport, this one-day conference brings in commercial fishing operators, industry experts, marine trades professionals, and others to discuss wild-caught seafood industry topics and local seafood issues. If you're a commercial fisherman or woman, this event connects you to others  who are working and tackling the same questions, solutions, and discussions that you are. 
 
Tide to Table 2025 - April 26th, 5:30pm - 9:00pm

Join us for our annual Tide to Table event hosted this year at the Bellwether Ballroom. Tickets and info coming soon. Join us for a fun night of celebrating our working waterfronts and those who work upon them!