Newport Fishermen’s Wives work to show up whenever, or wherever, their community needs them

On a windy wet Saturday in January, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives end their annual meeting at Mo’s Seafood and Chowder on the bayfront and welcome visitors. As servers deliver tureens of clam chowder and platters of thick buttery toast, the group members stand to introduce themselves. Then, from the far end of the table, Denise Porter rises.

“I started with the Fishermen’s Wives five years ago when my husband passed away,” Porter begins, noting that the anniversary of the capsizing that took Josh Porter’s life was just three days away. “First, I want to say I wouldn’t be standing here if it weren’t for you,” Porter says. “You walked me through everything ... This is my passion. This organization is amazing.”

Founded in the 1970s, the Newport Fishermen’s Wives today is the public face of the fishing community, a band of women known for showing up wherever needed, whether it be serving casseroles at a funeral, providing safety gear for the fleet or helping a family make ends meet.

But in the beginning, the group was just about friends, about providing the comfort of companionship while their husbands were away fishing the Alaska waters 9 1/2 months a year. “When you have multiple children and husbands are gone, it is difficult,” said Taunette Dixon said, Newport Fishermen’s Wives spokeswoman and member for nearly three decades. “It’s really similar to military wives, not only the fact that you don’t see your spouse, but the danger that is involved. It’s just nice to have someone who understands what you are going through.”

In the beginning, the support of kindred spirits was enough, then, about a decade after the group formed, tragedy spurred the women onto more serious business. “There were two major accidents, but there were others before,” Dixon said. “We had a rescue helicopter in North Bend and in Astoria.” But there was none in Newport, and the distance to the helicopter stations north and south was too far for a successful rescue in cold waters. “Lives were lost. That was the last straw,” Dixon said. “These were dynamite women, powerhouses. They not only were able to get a rescue helicopter in Newport, but they then fought to get a helipad at the hospital.”

That’s when Newport Fishermen’s Wives moved to become a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, expanding their role from one of friendship to that of advocacy, aid and education.

Forty odd years later, the precedent of service is as much a part of the group as the seafood that sustains it. Their work goes on year-round, though not always in ways you might expect. There are toy drives, a children’s literacy program — “Real Fishermen Read” — Survival Suit Races, barbecues and seafood cookoffs, but underpinning every event and program is the unwavering goal of a safer, healthier, brighter future for fishing families.

The need for their efforts has rarely been greater.

“It’s been a tough four years,” said Dixon. She and her husband, Kevin, are members of fourth-generation fishing families. “The prices of our seafood have taken a dive. We couldn’t find a market during a lot of COVID, and now that a lot of markets are starting up, our groundfish are dropping in half. The shrimp price was half of what it normally is, and we don’t have a lot of places buying shrimp. The crab prices this year are better than last year, but it’s still really low.”

The 2023 closure of the commercial salmon season due to dwindling salmon stocks has added to the hardship. That prompted the Newport Fishermen’s Wives to establish the Salmon Relief Program, to be funded in part by a $30,000 grant from Lincoln County.

“We closed out our first round this year with $1,000 to 21 salmon vessels,” said Cari Brandberg, treasurer for the nonprofit. “Crewmembers could apply to get $300 credit toward rain gear; boats could apply for $1,000 for licensing fees, Port of Newport bills or safety equipment. We really wanted to help the fishermen before the end of the year when they needed it the most.”

It was that same spirit that led the group in 2014 to begin its Holiday Outreach Program. That was the year the commercial crab fleet went on strike, and the season was late in starting. “Coming into the holidays, all the fishermen had nothing,” Dixon said. “They weren’t able to feed their families or give their children presents. It was really bad. Even if the season starts on time, you’re paying back bills, just catching up. A lot of new fishermen live day-to-day. We provide for families that can’t catch up and that includes the plant workers, too. They also don’t get to work when the season doesn’t start.”

In this 10th year of the holiday program, the nonprofit helped 200 kids from 61 families with food, gifts and warm clothing.

But perhaps among the accomplishments the group was most proud in 2023 was the delivery of 175 life jackets to deckhands from 71 vessels. The life jackets were developed in a partnership between the Fishermen’s Wives, Oregon State University College of Health and Kent Safety Products to fit fishing crews in a way that doesn’t interfere with their work.

Traven Lutz, captain of the F/V Cayman Isle, was able to get four jackets for his vessel. “It’s pretty amazing what they did,” said Lutz, who’s fished for 23 years. “They are $150 life jackets and the Fishermen’s Wives gave them away for free, asking for a $25 donation. The biggest thing is that this time of year, the guys are broke. No one wants to spend any money. They would rather say, forget it; if my captain doesn’t provide it, I’m not going to pay for it. It’s a pretty awesome thing to get four for $100.”

If the Newport Fishermen’s Wives is known for their fundraising, education and safety efforts, an unfortunate number have met them in a space others can only hope to never occupy. For Denise Porter, that moment came on Jan. 9, 2019, hours after she learned that her husband had died along with two others in the capsizing of the F/V Mary B II.

The Fishermen’s Wives “were there before the Coast Guard,” Porter said. “They introduced themselves and said, ‘We don’t know what to say except we are so sorry, but we are here to help you,’ and then they handed me a check for $1,500 to help with the cremation. They paid for everything. They just sat there with me and said, ‘No matter what you need, you just need to call.’”

In the weeks and months that followed, the Fishermen’s Wives steered Porter toward counseling, then helped her get her certification in a similar field. When her car was stolen, they helped her replace it and when she suffered a fire in her home, Dixon took her into her own. Less than a year after Josh Porter died, Denise began going to Newport Fishermen’s Wives meetings and soon became a board member. At the recent January meeting, she was elected vice president.

“I am now an executive board member,” Denise said. “Yay. Josh would be so proud of me. He was a very encouraging man. These ladies, they’re my Josh. They are my encouragement. Working with these ladies makes me feel like I am capable of doing whatever I set my mind to. I love them.”

— Lori Tobias, for The Oregonian/OregonLive