Seattle Fishermen's Terminal (Port of Seattle)

Built in 1914, the Seattle Fishermen's Terminal was the first property to be owned and operated by the Port of Seattle. Since its establishment, the terminal has served as the "home port" for the North Pacific fishing fleet, with over 400 commercial fishing boats and other working maritime vessels docking at the site. In 2017, the Port of Seattle announced plans for a renovation of the terminal and its historic buildings. As of 2023, this long-term redevelopment plan is still in progress. The historic ship supply building is scheduled to reopen in 2024 as a new Maritime Innovation Center, which will serve as an incubator for small maritime businesses in the region.

On January 10, 1914, crowds of people lined the shores of Salmon Bay to greet the parade of 200 fishing boats from the North Pacific fleet as they sailed into the Port of Seattle. The ships came from other nearby ports such as Olympia and Tacoma, and also from as far away as Alaska. Upon their arrival, a dedication ceremony commenced to celebrate the new "Fishermen's Headquarters" (currently known as the Seattle Fishermen's Terminal). Constructed in the harbor between the Magnolia and Ballard neighborhoods, the terminal served as a home port for commercial fishers throughout the region and as a loading and unloading cargo dock. The ceremony featured musical performances, speeches, and a gala luncheon to cap off the celebration.

According to the Port of Seattle, which still owns the terminal, the site has evolved to become the epicenter of the Pacific Northwest fishing and maritime industries. When it first opened in 1914, it included cargo piers, grain elevators, cold-storage plants, and moorage for the city's commercial fishing fleet. Pilings were erected in Salmon Bay to provide a base for the terminal, which provided 1,800 feet of available moorage. Fishermen could dock their boats and repair them as needed, rather than having to search for moorage wherever they happened to find it, as they had done earlier. With enough room for 100 boats, there was also space to store vessels during the off-season, along with space for repairing nets and a two-story warehouse. As the site further expanded, it accommodated a greater number of boats.

Located on Salmon Bay, this area was originally home to the Shilshole-Ahmish people, who were fishing off the coast long before the era of European settlement. Salmon Bay, a naturally brackish body of water, is connected to Puget Sound by a narrow outlet. In 1917, this was modified via the construction of the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, which converted the Fishermen's Terminal into a freshwater port. The modification had obvious ecological impacts, but one advantage for Seattle's fishing industry was that its moored vessels experienced less damage from barnacles and other marine organisms that inhabit saltwater environments. Freshwater moorage is generally considered a low impact way to keep boat hulls in good condition; since most barnacles cannot live in freshwater, so vessels are easier and less expensive to maintain.

"Fishermen's Terminal History", Port of Seattle. Accessed August 2nd, 2023. https://www.portseattle.org/page/fishermens-terminal-history.

"Fishermen's Terminal Map", Port of Seattle. Accessed August 2nd, 2023. https://www.portseattle.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Fishermen%27s%20Terminal%20Map.pdf.

"Fishermen's Terminal Redevelopment", Port of Seattle. Accessed August 2nd, 2023. https://www.portseattle.org/page/fishermens-terminal-redevelopment.

Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society. Maritime Seattle. Images of America. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2002.

Sutherland, Sam L.. "Fishermen's Terminal: Million Dollar Industry", Magnolia Historical Society. Accessed August 2nd, 2023. https://magnoliahistoricalsociety.org/images/10alt-Fish%20Terminal.pdf.

Trujillo, Joshua. "Throwback Thursday: 100 years of Fishermen's Terminal", Seattle PI. May 27th, 2014. Accessed August 2nd, 2023. https://www.seattlepi.com/local/seattle-history/slideshow/Throwback-Thursday-100-years-of-Fishermen-s-86708.php.