Wrangell Harbormaster Greg Meissner stands with Chuck Jenkins at the Marine Service Center where Jenkins and his craftsmen are currently working on the vessel “Icy Queen.” Meissner recently returned from the 2011 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle where he promoted the harbor, boatyard and its amenities.
With the seafood industry as the lifeblood of Southeast Alaska, staying up to date on the latest equipment, services, suppliers, gear and ideas is a must for any community in the region or an Alaskan commercial fishing endeavor.
It is with those factors in mind that Wrangell Harbormaster Greg Meissner attended the 35th annual Pacific Marine Expo, otherwise known as “fish expo,” at Seattle’s Qwest Field last week.
The expo, which included speakers on a range of topics including fishing safety, marine survival, salmon fishery revitalization, seafood marketing and energy issues, also featured exhibitors as wide ranging as the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, United Fishermen of Alaska, and our very own Wrangell Harbor Department.
Meissner said the 2011 expo was one of the best he has seen in the 13 years he has been attending, and though attendance was down this year, it is still an opportunity to sell Wrangell to the individuals and businesses involved in fishing in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast Alaska.
“Wrangell has been going to Expo since 1999, and when we first got involved we didn’t have much more to offer than a speech by me, a booth, and a vision of what our harbor and services could be,” Meissner said. “Every year we have gone back, we have been able to show our steps toward the reality of today, and it’s gone from a vision to being able to say the harbor is nearly done and the boatyard has had a bunch of improvements.”
Meissner also said Wrangell has emerged as an ‘elite’ location for boat owners to have work on their vessels completed – thanks to the borough’s exposure at the expo.
“Rather than some of the fishermen from Puget Sound who come up here to fish just running home afterward, they realize they can leave their boat here for work and fly home to save all the wear and tear and expense,” Meissner added. “They can come back later after all the work is done, launch the boat, fuel it up and away they go.”
When vessel owners choose to utilize the boatyard and other areas available to them in Wrangell, Meissner said it also adds money to Front Street and other local businesses.
“About four years ago we ran the numbers and discovered that for every gillnetter on the deck, the owners were spending about $1,500 in the spring when they come here,” Meissner said. “They might walk up and down Front Street and buy a battery, eat lunch, buy some paint, whatever. Not only are we making money, but the vendors downtown and elsewhere are making money too by selling Wrangell at the expo.”
Meissner also pointed out that the boatyard, through its lease and storage areas, is generating money and offering some of the finest workmanship Southeast Alaska can offer when it comes to repairing vessels.
“If you look around you can see all these amazing vendors that have just taken off in the yard,” Meissner said. “You see one guy providing three-four jobs, while another business may provide five jobs. The boat shop works out of here too and we have wizards in all types of refinishing and boatwork.”
The next event Meissner will be attending will be the 2012 Seattle Boat Show between Jan. 12-Feb. 5 at Century Link Field and South Lake Union harbor.
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