Bristol Bay Harvester Hawks Gillnetter at Pacific Marine Expo
Veteran Bristol Bay salmon harvester Leslie Stambaugh was on the move at the 2024 Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle, eager to talk with anyone willing to listen about the 32-foot drift gillnetter he has for sale.
Stambaugh kept a steady pace from Nov. 20-22, through the vast open spaces at the Lumen Field Event Center filled with some 380 trade show booths, attracting attention from many folks manning and visiting the booths.
Pacific Marine Expo, billed as the largest annual gathering of the commercial maritime industry on the West Coast, attracts several thousand individuals, businesses, government agencies and non-profits with links to maritime and commercial fisheries.
“My wife just wants me to quit fishing; she wants me home,” said Stambaugh, 70, of Green Valley, Arizona, where there are numerous facilities, from pools to fitness clubs, catering to retirees. “I’ve just started trying to sell my boat.”
Instead of signing up for a booth, Stambaugh continued to pace the floor inside the Lumen Field Event Center. He had just recently listed his boat with a broker for $425,000.
“It’s mechanically maintained,” Stambaugh said of the vessel, which was built in 1994.
Stambaugh also holds commercial fishing permits worth about $100,000, although they were not listed for sale on his front and back sandwich sign. Information on the signs included his phone number, (520) 625-0002, and email address: [email protected].
The University of Washington’s 2025 Bristol Bay sockeye salmon forecast, published in October 2024, predicts a run of 54.1 million sockeye and a harvest of 37.8 million totaling 209.6 million pounds.
The Alaska Department of Fish & Game’s Bristol Bay forecast, also published in October, forecasted a run of 51.31 million fish and a harvest of 34.8 million.
Source: https://fishermensnews.com/bristol-bay-harvester-hawks-gillnetter-at-pacific-marine-expo/
