Skills and Drills course will teach commercial fishing skills in South Bend September 28-29
Washington Sea Grant is offering its Skills and Drills course for new or beginning fishermen on September 28-29 in South Bend, Washington. Held for the first time in March 2025, the course is meant for individuals interested in learning the necessary skills to enter the commercial fishing industry.
This year’s course has a particular focus on the Dungeness crab fishery, one of Washington’s largest commercial fisheries. No experience is required.
Skills taught in the course will include:
- Steel welding triage
- Fiberglass triage and repair
- Pot gear 101 and repair
- Line splicing
- How to read current conditions, a tide book, and bar crossing 101
- Vessel basics, terminology and application
- Knot tying
- Grappling hook practice
Safety drills held in the course will include:
- Using the radio and Maydays
- Fire fighting
- Flooding control
- Survival suit, life jacket and raft training
- First aid
“Our goal is to break the ice, so someone can walk on the boat and not be totally naive,” says Robert Maw – WSG fisheries specialist, Skills and Drills’ lead instructor, and a commercial fisherman himself. “If new fishermen have seen how to tie knots, mend nets, and know their way around an engine room, that helps the boat owners to hire them.”
Thanks to generous support from the Seattle Fishermen’s Memorial Fund, the course is free for anyone currently a commercial fisherman, or anyone seeking a commercial fishing job within the next year. The cost is $100 for non-commercial fishermen.
Registration for Skills and Drills is now open! Advanced registration is required, as participation is limited to 18 spots.