My family and I have been tenants at Fisherman's Terminal as business owners since 1942, and I have been a member of the Fisherman's Terminal Advisory Committee (FTAC) since 1982, when I served as president of the Seattle crab vessel owner's association (NPFVOA) and was closely linked with the development of its ongoing safety training program.
I also served 8 years as a founding member of the Seattle Fisherman's Memorial, which commemorates those members of our community who were tragically lost at sea while earning their livings.
My familiarity with the terminal and all of its various managers has been ongoing for 50 years; it's been at times a somewhat contentious relationship, but most certainly also cooperative and helpful.
Over a period of 40 years in the fishing industry, I have had the opportunity to experience many ports along our West Coast and Alaska. I consider myself privileged to have explored all these areas and to have gotten to know the many characters that make up our greater fishing community. In most of these ports, managers where responsible and friendly, eager to make a passing vessel's brief stay as safe and uneventful as possible.
Some of these ports were rather rickety and in need of serious updating. Some were particularly nice, especially in Alaska, where the politicians recognized the value of the state's fishing industry and fishermen. Those politicians, both state and federal, rallied behind their Alaska industry, and over the last decade or so have provided funds for state-of-the-art port facilities throughout Alaska. It is true that our Fisherman's Terminal has been somewhat late in coming to the party.
However, coinciding with the development in Alaska's fishing port infrastructure, Fisherman's Terminal was evaluated to assess the needs of our expanding Seattle fishing fleet, and was found in serious need of updating.
Our port commissioners initiated a study to see where our industry was going and, correctly so, decided that the configuration of the fleet had changed dramatically, and our old facility was in serious need of renovation and updating.
This process has been ongoing since 1984, and now is culminating in the replacement and upgrading of all the piers, electrical capabilities, uplands and various other amenities.
True, these updates were overdue, and seriously welcome. The monetary outlay has been tremendous-yearly in the billions. And thus, the rationalization to support this historic fleet and industry with the needed funds was made by our greater Seattle community and its elected port officials.
Not everyone has been happy with all of this. A few highly vocal individuals apparently want things done specifically their way, and have become obstructionists.
Finding the middle ground has not been easy for facility managers and FTAC members. Considerations of the facility paying its way often became a serious impediment; realizing that empty stalls brought in no funds gave impetus to the idea of letting tugs, charter vessels and, finally, pleasure crafts moor at the terminal-all with the caveat that if ever a fishing vessel needed a spot, a pleasure vessel would be asked to go elsewhere.
That agreement, from members of FTAC to the port commissioners, is written in blood: the terminal will always be a dedicated working fishing facility. This expanded policy has riled a few vocal critics; they cry heresy and deluge the press with ongoing and unwarranted criticism of many of these changes.
These public servants have gone out of their way to make this facility one that fairly addresses the needs of our greater diverse fishing community, from the commissioners to facility managers and the "boots on the ground."
Sadly, in the last several months there have been several fatal accidents at Fisherman's Terminal. Individuals have fallen overboard while transiting or otherwise moving about vessels.
The maritime world suffers one of the highest accident rates of any workplace-the Fisherman's Memorial attests to that. Boats and docks are inherently dangerous, slippery places, no matter where they are. And they become even more so if an individual happens to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol-and that knowledge comes from personal experience long ago.
The question is, were these deaths caused by some inherent safety deficiency with the terminal's piers, or did individual behavior somehow contribute to the accidents? We'll never know for sure, but one thing is clear: getting on and off vessels is probably the most accident-prone aspect of working on them.
The port's insurance underwriters have just recently undertaken a sweeping assessment of the facility, with an eye to what might be causative factors; they found one small area with moss that now has been removed.
It is unfair that our facility managers and port commissioners be taken to task for these accidental deaths.
Presently, the port is working with FTAC to work out possible scenarios that might improve the safety aspects within the facility. More and well-marked ladders, signage and possibly bicycles or Segways to increase port personnel's mobility have all been discussed.
However, time and again, this group-in its first meeting on the problem-kept coming back to the heart of the issue: each individual must take personal responsibility for his own actions.
It is time for the community at large to lighten up on the port's commissioners and facility manager and understand that Fisherman's Terminal is as inherently safe as any other West Coast or Alaskan facility. These people have made the upgrade of this facility a priority and, in doing so, have made a huge commitment to our fishing industry and the Seattle community at large. They deserve our appreciation.
Dennis Thor Petersen, a lifelong resident of Magnolia and Ballard, has been involved in the fishing industry for half a century. He became a fishing industry activist in the late 1970s, serving as founding chairman of the Seattle Fisherman's Memorial as well as serving with the FTAC group, which was formed to aid the Port of Seattle in better serving Seattle's fishing fleet.[[In-content Ad]]
