May 10 deadline for port survey of fishermen

The Port of Bellingham and its partners are conducting a survey of commercial fishermen to measure Covid-19’s impact on this industry.

There are three versions of the anonymous, voluntary survey, with business owners asked to select the survey most relevant to their specific operations – fishing, tendering or processing. The surveys are available online at whatcomcovid.com/businesses-restaurants and responses are due by Sunday, May 10.

“The survey will inform strategies for economic recovery, help identify how much state and federal recovery aid will be needed and give elected officials insight into the unique problems caused by Covid-19 on the seasonal commercial fishing industry,” said an April 29 news release.

The survey is being conducted by Whatcom Unified Command’s Economic Impact Taskforce, led by the Port of Bellingham’s Regional Economic Partnership (REP), in coordination with the Working Waterfront Coalition of Whatcom County.

Commercial fishing has a significant impact on Whatcom County’s economy with over 2,500 direct and induced jobs earning an estimated $94.5 million in wages in salaries.