Newport Fishermen’s Wives was awarded $44,925 by the Northwest Oregon Works’ maritime program, ensuring commercial fishing operations remain active and preserve the livelihood of the industry.
The funding was made possible by Oregon House Bill 3410, which was passed in June 2023. The bill established a maritime sector program with funding provided to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission to support strategic investments in workforce development programs and activities in the maritime sector of the state.
The Newport Fishermen’s Wives stated that they would use the funds to procure safety equipment to distribute to the fishing fleet within Lincoln County, a coastal county south of Portland, according to the Newport News-Times. The funding will help boost regional employment, encourage new entrants into the industry, and retain skilled crew members. The funding distributed was to support new and existing fishermen to operate more efficiently during the winter crab season.
The Northwest Oregon Works hired a maritime program coordinator, Len Tumbarello, in May 2024. Though the funding associated with this grant ends in June 2025, Tumbarello and the program hope to receive additional funding requests from maritime entities in Columbia, Clatsop, Lincoln, Tillamook, and Benton counties, where they do work.
Newport News Times shared that according to the Newport Fishermen’s Wives, the funds received from the program will help their lifejacket giveaway program, a collaboration between Oregon State University’s FLIPP for Lifejackets Program, Newport Fishermen’s Wives, Englund Marine, and Kent Safety Products.
“The success of this program has inspired fishing support groups in Charleston and Astoria to implement a similar program,” the Newport Fishermen’s Wives said in a statement. “Many fishers told us that they wouldn’t have a lifejacket without this program because they couldn’t afford it. They were also excited that it would be part of their own personal safety gear that could travel with them if they changed boats and from port to port.”
The Newport Fishermen's Wives is a non-profit corporation of fishermen's wives, mothers, daughters, and friends, supporting a strong sense of community and helping to further the causes of industry, safety, seafood education, and family support.
