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Waterfront Wednesday March 12, 2025
Waterfront Wednesday News
March 12, 2025
Bill to recognize Bull Kelp
as State Marine Forest clears WA State House
Bull Kelp flowing in the currents of Deception Pass. Photo: Dan Tucker
House Bill 1631 recently passed the WA State House with the goal to recognize Bull Kelp, a common type of kelp here in the Pacific Northwest, as the State Marine Forest. The bill would create protections for Bull Kelp, helping to preserve the marine ecosystems that depend on the long, stalky forests of photo-synthesizing fronds.
Bull Kelp also plays an important role in our native tribal cultures here in the Northwest, being used for a variety of things from carrying water to a sounding trumpet. Read more about what Bull Kelp is on this
wikipedia page
Read about the bill via the link below:
Maritime Institute hosts Mariner Boot Camp
Maritime Institute Interns aboard the Oliver Hazard Perry. Photo: Maritime Institute
The Maritime Institute is partnering with Workforce Snohomish to host a Mariner Boot Camp at the Sno-Isle Skills Center in Everett this summer.
Please see the below information from their website:
WHO IS THIS FOR?
- · This program is designed to engage the next generation of US merchant mariners. It was created for people seeking to enter the exciting maritime industry with little to no prior experience.
- Target audience 18-24 years old
- Current students have been 18-65 years old
- Class sizes are 12-18 students
BENEFITS OF MARINER BOOTCAMP
The key benefits from the Mariner Bootcamp:
- Financial aid
- Employable skills
- Hands on experience
- Certification
- Job security
- Travel
- Advancement opportunities
DETAILS ABOUT MARINER BOOTCAMP!
- 4 weeks life changing weeks
- Vessel & Shipyard Operations Skills Center Program at Sno-Isle coming this fall!
- Same curriculum just in a skill center format. OSPI Approved Framework
- More info to come.
- Click on this link: https://marinerbootcamp.com/
Race Week comes to Bellingham
Race Week will bring over 100 racing teams to Bellingham July 21-25. Photo: Raceweekpnw.com
Race Week is a popular event coming to Bellingham this summer. Crews and boats will be hosted at Squalicum Harbor July 21-25th and several events that week will happen in coordination with the racing.
The event is moving to Bellingham from Anacortes, where it has grown beyond what Anacortes can accommodate. There are many partners signing up in Whatcom to help and the event is shaping up to be one of the biggest on the waterfront.
Join the exciting event and mark your calendars for Race Week Bellingham. Read more about it via the press release below:
Economic Futures Through Ports - In case you missed it
Port of Bellingham Economic Development Director Tyler Schroeder speaks on the Port's work in providing a balanced economy to the region.
Photo: Screen-capture, Youtube, Bellingham City Club
In case you missed the Bellingham City Club's presentation, "Our Economic Future Through Ports", this discussion at the Bellingham Yacht Club last month covered a range of topics around our Ports, shipping terminals, and maritime economy. Featuring port commissioners from Seattle, Anacortes, and Bellingham, as well as Port of Bellingham staff. The discussion was recorded and is now available on Youtube.
See the link below to watch the discussion and Q&A session afterward,
Tide to Table Tickets and Sponsorships Available
The Coalition's annual Tide to Table dinner is happening April 26th at the Hotel Bellwether Ballroom, and tickets are now on sale! The dinner is our celebration of the Salish Sea and all it brings us with a seafood buffet, live and silent auction, and lots of good camaraderie and fun. Join us for this fun night with your best trackside derby outfits. Big hats, garden-party attire, and mint juleps are all in season as our salmon race for the roses with our Kentucky Derby theme this year.
Tickets will be on sale through April 18th - so get your tickets today via the link below!
Tickets available for $120/individual, and $880 for a table of 8 - get yours today!
Sponsorships Available
Alta-Gas
Premera
DiMartino
All-American Marine
The Coalition would like to thank these early sponsors for their support!
Your Coalition is growing. Your partnership and support make it all possible. Sponsorship options include: 1) Tide-to-Table event sponsorship and/or 2) Coalition in-general supporting the work we do to promote the economic vitality and diversity of working waterfronts here in Whatcom, and throughout the state. Sponsor packages are available at the sponsor deck via the link below. If you'd like to build a custom package - reach out to our staff at Info@whatcomworkingwaterfront.org.
Donate to our Auction
Want to take a trip to SE Alaska and see the majesty of the great, big, broad land way up yonder? Would you like to be a brewer for a day with a well-known local brewery? How about owning a rare print of fine maritime art? Our auction is shaping up to be exciting this year. Look for individual previews coming soon to whet your appetite as we fund-race for the roses (and our maritime trades advocacy programming)!
Get hyped for the Tide to Table auction this year, and donate your own contribution to the cause! We invite you to donate items to our live & silent auction! If you have gifts, experiences or unique items that you'd like to go towards creating equitable economic opportunities in our region, preserving our diverse workforce, and help maintain our waterfronts working, consider donating them to our auctions for Tide to Table '25!
To donate items, experiences, or gifts, please use the form linked below, or contact our staff at Info@whatcomworkingwaterfront.org. Please send your Item submissions by April 18th. Contact us today if you'd like to be a part of the auction for this fun evening.
"Origins: The Last Reefnetters" Premiere
features Coast Salish fishing method
The SIFF Uptown premiere happened February 26th. Photo: Deb Granger
Origins: The Last Reefnetters, is a new documentary series on the history and culture of reefnet fishing in the Salish Sea. The series will explore the history, methods, and current practice of reefnetting fishers in the Salish Sea. This traditional way of fishing was practiced by the Lummi and Northern Straits Salish Tribes for thousands of years, utilizing local currents and a suspended net to harvest migrating salmon without moving the two boats.
The series, a collaboration between Cascade PBS and local filmmaker Samual Wolfe of Fishboat Media, features local Lummi Tribal members, reefnet fisherwomen and men, and recently premiered at the SIFF Uptown Theatre in Seattle on Feb 26th. The series will be available via Cascade Public Broadcasting Service in March. Beginning Fri., Mar 21 for 5 consecutive Fridays, the 8 min segments showcase the history and current operations of reefnet fishing in the Salish Sea. Look for the series and learn about this unique Northwest way of fishing.
Maritime Construction Safety Days Seminar
Don't miss out on two opportunities for workplace safety & health training. Join the Washington State Governor's Industrial Safety & Health Advisory Board for Maritime Safety Day on Wednesday the 2nd of April and Stay for Construction Safety Day on Thurs., April 3.
The event features presentations on safety and construction in the maritime industry around topics ranging from Lithium-Ion Batteries, to Cranes and Lifts, Fire-Fighting, First-Aid, USCG Safety Programs, and more. If your business is involved in maritime construction, this event will be informative and insightful.
Doors open at 7 a.m., and breaks/lunch are provided. Find out more information via the website:
Bellingham's SE Alaska salmon fleet threatened
by lawsuits, misinformation - Cascadia Op-Ed
Purse-Seiners loading nets for the season. Photo: Pete Granger
Fishing fleets from Bellingham are facing lawsuits and misinformation alongside other Alaskan fishing communities as efforts that seek to shut the fisheries down propagate messaging designed to hyperbolize the discussions and incite anger. Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition's President, Kendall Whitney of Seafood Producer's Cooperative here in Bellingham, and Linda Benhken, the Executive Director of the Alaska Longline Fishermen's Association in Sitka, wrote in to Cascadia Daily News about the turmoil being caused by the misinformation, and how the Pacific Salmon Treaty works to help protect and preserve the fish and the marine ecology they depend on.
Read the op-ed via the link below:
Port Commission Meetings
Port Commissioners Open Meetings are held at the Port Admin Offices and are open to the public. Check the Agenda Center (Linked on each meeting time below) for posted agendas. Agendas typically get posted a week in advance of the scheduled meeting. Two periods of public comment occur each meeting before and after the agenda items, as well as special public hearings as designated on the agendas.
Location: Port Admin Offices, 1801 Roeder Ave, Bellingham
Port of Bellingham Agenda Center (check here for updated agendas)
Upcoming Meetings:
March 18th - Board of Commissioner's Open Public Meeting
April 1st
- Board of Commissioner's Open Public Meeting
Upcoming Waterfront & Coalition Events
Waterfront Events:
March 27-28, 9:00am - 6:00pm
Bendikson Landing, South Bend, WA
Washington Sea Grant is sponsoring a two-day Skills and Drills Course for new or beginning commercial fishermen in South Bend, Washington. This course is geared towards individuals interested in learning the necessary skills to enter the commercial fishing industry. No experience is required.
Anyone ages 18 and up who is interested in gaining basic skills that may be required onboard a West Coast commercial fishing vessel.
Coalition Events:
Are You Hiring? Use the Coalition Job Board
The Coalition's
Job Board is free, contactless, and easy! We designed this board for our commercial fishermen, marine trades industries and other waterfront jobs in mind, to act as a digital bulletin board for crew positions, contract hires, or regular employee spots that you want to have a digital space for.
If you have any questions on using it, reach out to our staff, info@whatcomworkingwaterfront.org. To submit a job posting, use the link below:
Affordable Health Benefits
for Statewide Maritime Companies
The Working Waterfront Health Trust provides affordable pooled insurance health plans for qualifying marine-trades businesses -
state-wide. The Trust launched two years ago, has grown steadily each year and provides a range of health plans to consider through Premera Blue Cross.
If you'd like to know more about the Health Trust, contact your insurance broker today and ask them about the Working Waterfront Health Trust. Fall is the peak time to meet with your broker to discuss options for your employees for 2025.
This newsletter sponsored by:
Alta-Gas
Premera
Copyright 2024 Waterfront Wednesdays by Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition
Waterfront Wednesday is a publication
of the Whatcom Working Waterfront Coalition.
www.whatcomworkingwaterfront.org
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