We’re so thrilled to have hosted our first-ever Winter Waters Day in Reedsport, Oregon! This small but vibrant coastal town has a dedicated local scene, deeply invested in art, community, and local small businesses. The day brought together creatives, chefs, distillers, and coastal enthusiasts for a multi-sensory celebration of Oregon’s waters and the people who work with them.

We always love bringing folks to the Port of Bandon, where a seaweed farm and urchin ranch can really open people’s eyes to new industries hitting the Oregon Coast. This time, our port tour was the most well-rounded it’s ever been, beginning with a rich history lesson from Charis of Bandon Tours and concluding with beautifully crafted dishes from the culinary team at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

On February 16th, every seat in the new brick & mortar of Squatchsami in Lincoln City, Oregon was taken for a fun evening of fish, education and seafood myth busters! Guests gathered to celebrate their local price around Oregon’s commercial fishing fleet while digging into some of the best fish and chips on the coast.

This collaboration, dreamed up by Winter Waters and brought to life by Michelle and Shawn at Sea Horsey Bottle Shop, paired small-production Pacific Northwest wines with the coastal cooking of Gabe Kieffer of PicNic Eats. Gabe’s global travels and wide-ranging culinary influences came through in subtle ways, but it was his deep respect for Oregon seafood and foraged coastal ingredients that grounded the evening.

This year marked the third Feast of the Local Fishes, where once again we gathered at the Historic U.S. Coast Guard Boathouse for an afternoon that felt tailor-made for the Oregon coast. This particular evening greeted us with calm water, balmy air, and clear skies, a refreshing contrast to the stormy conditions that every year prior have greeted us for this one.

This year marked the 4th annual Seaweed Cyanotypes workshop. This year, the workshop was hosted in Seaside at the Circle Creek Conservation Center in partnership with North Coast Land Conservancy.

Following our incredibly fun and inspiring Newport tour, The Blue Line, held on Saturday, Local Ocean Seafoods put on a delicious and unique Sunday Seafare Brunch.

The community really showed up on this one! A classic rainy winter day in Newport, Oregon couldn’t stop people from venturing between stops for “The Blue Line” - a self-guided tour around Newport’s working waterfronts, and the powerful connection between science and seafood that defines Oregon’s coast. Despite the steady drizzle, attendees ventured across the bay, to explore the people, research, and fisheries shaping a resilient coastal future.

Out of all the ocean trivias we’ve hosted, Marine Reserves Trivia Night, hosted by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Cape Perpetua Collaborative, and Friends of Otter Rock at The Wilds Taphouse & BBQ was one for the books!

Our Newport-based Women of the Water conference was an incredible reminder that while aquaculture is often viewed through the lens of technology and biology, at its heart, it is powered by people, and some really really incredible ones at that.

The Seafaring Speakeasy returns to Portland on February 1st for a culinary walk through the kelp forest. Guests will get to try an array of creative drinks and Oregon-caught seafood prepared by chefs from across the state.

The Blue Foods Forum returns to Portland on February 1–2, bringing together impact investors, funders, producers, nonprofits, researchers, policymakers, and creatives to explore the future of Oregon’s blue foods economy.

Oregon’s first Blue Foods Forum brought together chefs, scientists, artists, and entrepreneurs to explore new ways of connecting ocean health with coastal livelihoods. In the months since, that gathering has sparked real change, launching new seafood products, creative collaborations, and innovative ventures that are redefining what it means to build a truly sustainable blue economy on the Oregon Coast.

A tour to learn about the abundant fisheries and unique aquaculture operations of the Oregon Coast. Split between Port Orford and Bandon, this was a very full day of learning about sustainable seafood!

Sea Wolf Books offered an ocean-centric poetry-writing station with poetic inspiration and writing prompts available to folks of all ages during our Winter Waters Weekend in Port Orford, Oregon. As promised, we have published the poetry written here!

Winter Waters is made our first-ever journey to the Southern Oregon Coast, landing in the gem of a fishing village, Port Orford! A huge thank you to Discover Port Orford, Port Orford Main Street, and Travel Curry Coast for sponsoring Winter Waters on the South coast.

We had a blast in Port Orford at SeaFest, a fun, free, family-friendly event at Mr. Ed’s Underground Pub. The afternoon event celebrated local seafare and the people who make it all possible.

We loved bringing Winter Waters to Eugene this year! Thank you to ColdFire Brewing for hosting us for a pint night with seaweed + seafood dishes from Cece, the pescatarian food cart stationed a the brewery, by Sierra Mickey.

A Winter Waters dinner along the Nehalem River, enjoying local food, plenty of seaweed and oysters, with views of the coastal mountain range!

Chef Jonathan Jones hosted guest chef Enrique Sanchez Rodriguez, from Newport’s Local Ocean Seafoods at Epilogue Kitchen, in it’s new home in South Salem. Both these chefs have participated in Winter Waters events in the past, we were excited for the opportunity to join them together for this special collaboration dinner.