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Newport Fisheries Center

A mixed-use facility that supports the fishing industry through implementation of a targeted tenant mix.  The building will act as a “hub” for fisheries related activity and will be designed to encourage and maximize interaction within the Newport fishing industry and the consumer/public through education and interpretation.

Information below is from an article by Terry Dillman published January 25, 2008 in the Newport Newstimes.

First scaled-back from 19,000 square feet to 12,000 square feet, then put on hold, a proposal to establish a Newport Fisheries Center at the Port of Newport gained new life after port commissioners gave the nod to bring the architect back to draw up a new preliminary design with building cost estimates during their Jan. 22 session.

Port General Manager Don Mann asked them to give the project "a higher priority" for two reasons: support from potential tenants and the need to replace the port's existing office building.

"This building has reached the end of its life expectancy and is literally falling apart," Mann said. "We have also outgrown this space to the point where our archives storage capacity is in jeopardy."

Newport Fishermen's Wives Association and the Astoria Seafood Consumer Center have worked closely with port officials to make the fisheries center a reality. They have envisioned a center that would bring together various marine-related industries, and a building built to maximize interaction between these different entities A state-of-the-art demonstration kitchen and event center is seen as a critical tool that will help the Fishermen’s Wives deliver services that meet the overall mission of he center.

Among other things, the center would promote the diverse attributes Newport fishermen and local seafood business owners - and their families - provide to coastal communities, as well as promote Newport as a high-quality seafood destination.  Office space would be available to fisheries realated businesses or organizations.

The Fishermen’s Wives and the Seafood Consumer Center are interested in managing two specific programs. One would involve installing art and interactive educational exhibits throughout the center's common areas, with the Fishermen’s Wives establishing a volunteer committee - with representatives from the fishing and seafood industry, Port of Newport, Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon Sea Grant, and the Lincoln County Historical Society - to assist in design and installation. The other program would provide educational events and demonstrations, with Fishermen’s Wives planning and managing seafood-and-wine cooking classes, seafood-of-the-month demonstrations, guest chefs, and outdoor educational festivals and fishermen's market on a monthly basis.

Newport Fishermen’s Wives Association also wants to provide an educational program for K-12 students, and training classes and workshops for industry folks on "a less regular schedule."