Waterfront Wednesday March 4, 2026
Waterfront Wednesday News
March 4, 2026
Port Commission studies waterfront planning
February that were open to the public. The all-day sessions focused on current planning, challenges, and future ideas for the downtown waterfront, marine trades areas, and shipping terminal.
Cascadia Daily News covered the meetings, and you can read about them below:
*Editor's note: The quote attributed to the Coalition's Director was a mis-attribution, and the quote actually belongs to local commercial fisherman John Evich, of the F/V St. Zita.*
The sessions covered the Downtown waterfront district, and discussed the ongoing clean ups, and future connection from Bay St., as well as the Marine Trades and ASB areas.
The new vessel will be the sister-ship to the Chugach Express, seen here with her bow above the water as her hydrofoils provide lift to make a more efficient trip.
All-American Marine wins new Alaska tour vessel contract
All-American Marine, an anchor tenant on the Bellingham waterfront, has begun construction of the sister-ship to the Chugach Express delivered in 2024.
The new build will incorporate innovative hydrofoil technology from Teknicraft's designs, giving the vessel less drag and better performance and fuel efficiency.
All-American continues to build next-generation vessels that incorporate the latest hull designs and features, keeping Whatcom's vessel manufacturing at the forefront of shipbuilding nation-wide. You can read more about the new Alaskan tour vessel they're building via MarineLog at the link below:
Tide to Table Tickets On Sale
Tickets are now on sale for the 8th annual Tide to Table - a celebration of the seafood our Salish Sea and commercial fishermen provide.
This year, the Working Waterfront Coalition is excited to host the event at the Bellingham Yacht Club, and feature a down-home seafood boil by Drayton Harbor Oyster Company, and Dockside Market vendors sharing their favorite appetizers.
Come dressed for our 'Yacht-Rock' theme this year, or come dressed in your cozy 'Fisherman-Core' aesthetic, or come as you are to help support the work the Coalition does in promoting the vitality of our working waterfronts.
We'll host a fun live auction and raffle, our ever-popular dessert dash, and a paddle-raise for the Working Waterfront Foundation's Apprenticeship and Pre-apprenticeship.
Seats are selling quickly, so get your tickets today and dive into delicious seafood cooked by local vendors and come have a seafood-boilin' good time!
Kelp and other natural carbon-sequestration plants also help remove Carbon Dioxide from the ocean. New techniques aim to aid natural solutions for faster results - and fishermen are keeping eyes on the studies for impacts. Photo: Dan Tucker
Fishery-Friendly
Marine Carbon-Dioxide Removal
Commercial fishermen and their representatives have been working through the Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign in partnership with the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) and three regional coastal/ocean acidification networks to define core principles of “fishery sensitive” marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). Fishery-Friendly Climate Action Campaign is happy to roll out the first few products from this collaboration—with more to follow soon.
If you’re not familiar with mCDR (i.e., marine carbon dioxide removal), you’re not alone! mCDR is a set of experimental techniques that aim to accelerate the ocean’s uptake and storage of heat-trapping carbon dioxide from the atmosphere with the goal of mitigating climate change. Some methods work by accelerating photosynthetic activity, while others work by boosting the ocean’s capacity for abiotic uptake of carbon dioxide. The Fishery Friendly Climate Action Campaign has a collection of online resources to help fishermen and their allies develop proficiency in mCDR and play a major role in shaping its future.
Round-Table Report
A new report synthesizes a set of 17 fishing industry roundtable conver-sations about mCDR, laying the groundwork for fishermen and their allies to play a guiding role in this field as it matures.
Webinar Opens
Join the project partners for a webinar on Tuesday March 24 from 6:30 - 9:30 pm PST to learn more about the fishing industry roundtables on mCDR and to share a new “Guidance for Fishery-Sensitive mCDR” memo series, which is being developed based on fishermen’s input. This event is targeted at the commercial fishing community, the mCDR community, and all other interested parties, and will include time for conversation among participants.
QuietSound to make noise
at Blue Drinks
The
QuietSound Program from
Washington Maritime Blue comes to Bellingham on March 18th to host a discussion about the program and how it works at the upcoming Blue Drinks gathering.
This Blue Drinks is in 3 parts:
- You're invited to Drop in at 5 p.m. before the gathering to 1003 C St and get an up close personal tour of Shop 38, a family-owned marine repair and service shop located at Landings at Colony Wharf -- just steps from the Beach Cat Brewery! Learn about our marine trades, ask questions of the shop's owner, Dave Jennings, and see a working trades area. This is great for anyone who's ever wondered what marine trades are, and what goes on in all those warehouses at the Landings at Colony Wharf on C Street! Over 20 skilled craftsmen rent space at Colony Wharf and work hard to build, repair, maintain, and service recreational and commercial vessels from this thriving marine trades area.
- At 6 p.m., at the Beach Cat Brewery, hear from Maritime Blue about what and how the Quiet Sound program operates and ask your questions.
- After the short presentation at 6 p.m., Blue Drinks offers you a chance to connect, learn, and share with others interested in our waterfronts at this regular quarterly public meet-up.
Blue Drinks Q1 2026
March 18, 5-8 p.m.
5-5:30 p.m. - Drop in tour of Shop 38, 1003 C St
5:30 p.m. - Beach Cat Brewing, 1010 C St.
6 p.m. - Presentation by QuietSound and WA Maritime Blue
6:15 p.m. - Continue networking and having fun!
The Small Shipyards grants can help improve infrastructure, fund capital projects, and purchase new shipyard equipment. Photo: Dan Tucker
MARAD increases Small Shipyard Grants to $35 Million
[MarineLog] - The Small Shipyard Grant Coalition (SSGC) announced Feb. 4 that the federal Small Shipyard Grant Program will receive $35 million in fiscal year 2026 funding following the signing of the latest federal appropriations package. The total represents a notable increase compared with the previous two years.
In a press release, SSGC said the funding, administered by the U.S. Maritime Administration (Marad), continues a multiyear trend of congressional support aimed at strengthening small and mid-sized U.S. shipyards through capital improvements and workforce training.
Read the whole article via the link below:
Port of Bellingham
releases 2025 Economic Development Progress Report
The Port has released its 2025 Whatcom County Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) progress report, highlighting major infrastructure investments, business growth, and community partnerships that advanced economic development across Whatcom County during a challenging year.
The report (linked directly here) reflects progress aligned with the 2022–2026 CEDS goals and is available at https://portofbellingham.com/1003/CEDS.
“Despite economic uncertainty, constrained public budgets, and regional challenges, our community continued to move forward through strong partnerships and strategic investment,” said Port Economic Development Director Tyler Schroeder. “This report showcases the progress being made to support living-wage jobs, resilient infrastructure, and long-term economic opportunity throughout Whatcom County.”
Wood chips are loaded at the Bellingham Shipping Terminal. The terminal is set to re-activate over the coming years with a growing portfolio of businesses using it to move goods and cargo. Photo: Port of Bellingham
The Pacific American Fisheries building in Fairhaven, rendering.
Tide Talk: Fairhaven history with the Good Time Girls & CBC
Tide Talk : Harris Bay History with Kolby LaBree.
Kolby LaBree will present History of Harris Bay in Bellingham Washington, featuring early stories of waterfront life on the shores of today's Fairhaven Historic District.
This program is brought to you by Bellinghistory with the Good Time Girls, Maritime Washington and the Community Boating Center.
Kolby LaBree is the owner and operator of BellingHistory with The Good Time Girls, providing guided historical tours of Bellingham, Washington. Founded in 2011, The Good Time Girls are known for their entertaining tours with off-beat stories and costumed guides. Kolby is a native “Belling-hamster” and has a degree in anthropology from WWU. She also serves on the board of the Whatcom County Historical Society and the Historic Preservation Commission in Bellingham. Kolby has a particular fondness for all salty history.
March 19th 6:30pm - 7:30pm
April 16th 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Tickets are available via the button below:
On the Waterfront Winter 2026
Look for the Winter 2026 edition of "On the Waterfront" at newstands around the waterfront! You can also find the newsletter on our "Newsletter" page of the website by clicking the banner image 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 17 - Board of Commissioners Open Public Meeting
April 14 - Board of Commissioners Open Public Meeting
April 21 - Board of Commissioners Open Public Meeting
Past Meeting Information
YouTube Link:
Feb. 17 - Board of Commissioner's Open Public Meeting
Recent Minutes Posted:
Jan 20 - Board of Commissioner's Open Public Meeting
Want to get the highlights from each meeting on our maritime trades and marine-related topics? Join the Coalition as a member to get access to Commissioner meeting briefs, available on the member page of our website! Join us and add your voice to the waterfront discussion HERE.
Upcoming Waterfront & Coalition Events
Waterfront Events:
Fisherman's Pavilion, April 28th
The Port of Bellingham and the Working Waterfront Coalition, Foundation, and several community partners and businesses will host a career-exploration day for local high school students at Fisherman's Pavilion. Students will have the chance to get hands-on with different marine-trades and vessel operations opportunities, and learn about the careers available in our maritime sector.
Tide Talk : Harris Bay History with Kolby LaBree.
Community Boating Center, March 19th 6:30pm - 7:30pm
April 16th 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Kolby LaBree will present History of Harris Bay in Bellingham Washington, featuring early stories of waterfront life on the shores of today's Fairhaven Historic District. This program is brought to you by Bellinghistory with the Good Time Girls, Maritime Washington and the Community Boating Center.
Opening Day at Community Boating Center
Community Boating Center, May 1st
Join the Community Boating Center in Fairhaven for a brand-new celebration of their opening day on May 1st. Get out on the water and experience the bay with your community. Paddle, row, sail, and have fun!
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 2025 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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