In The Beginning…

My father started commercial fishing when I was about ten years old. He had a 14-foot fiberglass boat that he used for sport fishing out of Newport, Oregon. Add a couple of handlines supported with broom sticks and presto, we were commercial fishing. Anyone could sell fish to the fish plant, even sport fisherman. No license was required and there were no limits for anyone. The state used the honor system for getting its poundage fee that first year, but it must not have went well because a year or so later they started selling fishing licenses and the fish plants were required to hold back the poundage fee and send it into the state the end of the year. I remember that first year the state required commercial fisherman to be licensed. My dad didn’t need to, but he bought one for me anyway (under 16 year olds we not required to be licensed). When he handed the license to me he said, “Hang on to that. Someday the state will limit who can get one”. Looking back I can see how farsighted my father was.