Westport hosted members of state and local agencies, non-governmental organizations, industry professionals and citizens as part of the Marine Resource Committee (MRC) Summit last week as groups from across the state met and looked toward the future.
It’s the first such summit since 2019 due to disruption from COVID, said John Shaw, chair of the Grays Harbor MRC.
“The summit is, which is basically a get together for the five county MRC committees, has been going for some time,” Shaw said. “Everybody got together. Everybody got a chance to meet. You have county people, you have citizenry, you have agencies, and you have NGOs.”
MIchael S. Lockett / The Daily World Specialists talk to members of the crowd at the Marine Resource Committee summit at the Westport Maritime Museum on Oct. 13.
Getting everyone in the same room is a huge benefit, Shaw said, bringing people together from up and down the coast, from the mouth of the Columbia River to Port Angeles. Organizations like SeaGrant and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife join local groups like Twin Harbors Waterkeepers and the Grays Harbor and Pacific County Conservation districts to sit down, Shaw said.
“You have several MRCs,” Shaw said. “Everyone has their unique priorities and work products. This is a chance for them all to get together along with state agencies.”
On one day, participants went to the beach to talk about sea level rise and erosion, Shaw said, while another day was focused largely on the resilience of communities like Westport and seafood harvesting.
“It’s tied to basically community resilience and a strong economy and improving availability of the resource to the public. Along with education. That went over very well,” Shaw said. “Westport is the 10th largest landing port for seafood in the United States.”
MIchael S. Lockett / The Daily World The Marine Resource Committee summit at the Westport Maritime Museum on Oct. 13.
Friday saw presentations on the European green crab, an invasive species with a massive impact up and down the coast, before members went out to watch crews from Pacific Seafoods as they harvested the crabs.
“Green crab is something the marine resource committees have tried to call attention to for several years. It’s absolutely stunning,” Shaw said. “The numbers that are coming out of Willapa are pretty stunning as well. You’ve got one boat going out there pulling 600 to 700 a day.”
This year’s event was well-attended. Westport makes a good destination for the summit, which goes to different communities from year to year, as it’s affected by issues which touch on all communities up and down the coast, Shaw said. It’s also good for another reason, though.
“I think everybody had a great time coming to Westport. Uniquely what we had the ability to do was have the attendees go around and eat at the local restaurant and seafood establishments,” Shaw said. “That’s not something you can do everywhere.”
The location for next year’s summit hasn’t yet been determined, Shaw said.
Contact Senior Reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@thedailyworld.com.
