RECAP: The Blue Line Newport
Saturday, February 7h, 2026 — Newport, Oregon
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.
Winter Waters Co-Founder Alanna Kieffer with a map of The Blue Line
Winter Waters Designer Torrey Saunders, and Co-Founders Rachelle Hacmac and Alanna Kieffer with assorted rockfish species
Oregon Coast Aquarium: Science in Action
At the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Blue Line activities unfolded in the classroom where interactive stations spotlighted various ocean related conservation efforts.
The Aquarium's dive program - which helps conduct research in Oregon's 5 marine reserves and the Oregon Kelp Alliance - working to restore Oregon’s Kelp Forests.
Hatfield Marine Science Center: Science for the Seafood of the Future
At Hatfield Marine Science Center guests got to join oyster research tours to get a behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge mariculture and oyster breeding programs. Researchers demonstrated how selective breeding, water quality monitoring, and ecosystem research help keep coastal waters healthy and seafood systems resilient. Pacific oyster production is a carefully supported system rooted in innovation and stewardship. Together, these efforts fuel a strong, science-driven blue economy for Oregon’s coast.
Pacific Maritime Heritage Center: Fisheries Mythbusters
At the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, visitors explored the beautiful Oregon’s Beautiful & Wild Fisheries exhibit, crab films, boatbuilding displays, and the Creatures of the Sea art collection.
From 1–2pm, the energy shifted to myth-busting mode with Fishing Myths & Realities. Moderated by Julie Kuchepatov of Seafood and Gender Equality. The interactive program invited attendees to vote live, True or False, on common assumptions about commercial fishing. A panel of Oregon fishers responded in real time with candid stories, humor, and hard-earned insight. With an incredibly engaged audience with really great questions, we wished this program could have gone on all afternoon! It was a lively, honest conversation blending science, lived experience, and a deeper understanding of the care behind Oregon’s fishing communities.
Dock Walks at Port Dock 5: Boots on the Working Waterfront
Rain-speckled docks didn’t slow anyone down at Dock 5, across from Local Ocean Seafoods. Guided by Oregon Sea Grant’s Angee Doerr and Newport Fishermen’s Wives’ Taunette Dixon, attendees joined timed dock walks to hear firsthand what life on the water really looks like.
With sponsorship support from Englund Marine, participants learned about vessel gear, safety realities, and the daily rhythms of commercial fishing. The working waterfront isn’t a museum—it’s alive, complex, and essential. And standing dockside, listening to the people who live it, brought that truth home.
Central Coast Food Web at Yaquina Lab: Follow the Flow
All day long, the Central Coast Food Web activated the Yaquina Lab campus with immersive programming that connected the dock to the pantry.
Follow The Flow invited guests into a working food hub for aquaculture tours, local tastings, fish processing demos, and storytelling that traced seafood’s journey from ocean to table.
Highlights included:
Seawater Complex Guided Tours: A behind-the-scenes look at urchin ranching with OoNee Sea Ranch, seaweed mariculture, and the clean seawater systems powering ocean innovation.
Local Fish Fillet Demos : Practical, pro-level tips attendees could actually use at home.
Broth Bar & Sipping Station: Sampling rich fish broths and learning how Local Ocean Seafood’s 100% Fish Program transforms “waste” into nourishment.
Blue Pantry Tuna Tastings: Chef Enrique Sanchez served fresh Oregon troll-caught albacore and navy bean salad while commercial albacore fishers shared what it takes to pursue a fish that migrates over 5,000 miles a year and can sprint up to 50 mph. Climate-smart, simple, and delicious. Ericka Carlson from the Oregon Albacore Commission shared knowledge about this incredible migratory fish.
Dockside Voices: A pop-up storytelling booth capturing reflections on memory, stewardship, and what the working waterfront means to everyday lives.
CCFW Pop-Up Shop: Participants redeemed their $5 registration credit for local seafood and pantry staples, meeting the producers and discovering how a thriving coastal food web depends on community connection.
After the Blue Line: Lounge, Snack & Savor
After (or even during) their Blue Line adventures, guests could follow their appetites to two delicious stops offering menu specials inspired by the working waterfront.
Low Tide Martini and High Tide Highball (NA), two cocktails Local Ocean Seafoods featured in February, with $3 from each cocktail benefiting the Oregon Kelp Alliance.
Local Ocean Seafoods
Just steps from the docks, this mid-day oasis invited attendees to relax, warm up, and raise a glass to Oregon’s blue economy. With the rain still misting over Yaquina Bay, the Local Ocean lounge offered a cozy reset, complete with a complimentary bar bite:
Lingcod Albóndiga — Spanish-style meatball with ranchero sauce
And for sipping:
Low Tide Martini — Dulse seaweed–infused Crater Lake vodka, Beefeater gin, Cocchi Americano & orange bitters
High Tide Highball (NA) — ISH NA London Botanical gin, lemon, cucumber, kombu-infused honey syrup, NA bitters & soda
It was a reminder that supporting local fisheries can be as simple (and enjoyable) as ordering thoughtfully.
Raised by Wolves Food Truck
For the evening hunger, Raised by Wolves rolled in with next-level comfort food, seafood-forward and packed with local flavor. The menu lineup included:
• Okonomiyaki — Japanese seafood pancake with local pink shrimp, house-smoked pork belly, cabbage, yakisoba noodles, Kewpie mayo, okonomiyaki sauce & furikake
• Tillay-o-Fish Sando — Fried Newell’s lingcod on brioche with house tartar, American cheese & lettuce
• Miso Rock Cod Chowder — Local rock cod, bacon, potato & leek in a kombu dashi broth
• Albacore Tuna Onigiri — Rice ball filled with local albacore, mayo & chili, wrapped in nori
This was complete with a mini urchin touch tank put on display by Oonee Sea Ranch, it was truly dock to street food at its finest!!
A Rainy Day, A Stronger Coast
By the end of the day, our team was exhausted but really enthusiastic after getting to see so many people experience this knowledge sharing. The rain felt fitting, of course. From classroom learning to oyster labs, from dock walks to tuna tastings, The Blue Line stitched together a living story of stewardship and innovation across Newport. And if the turnout proved anything, it’s this: a little rain won’t keep this community from showing up for the sea.
A huge thank you to Discover Newport for their invaluable support of our events in Newport. As the official destination management organization for the area, they play a vital role in connecting visitors and locals alike with the natural beauty, culture, and experiences that make this part of the Oregon Coast so special. Their partnership helped enhance community engagement and visibility for Winter Waters programming, and we are truly thankful for their commitment to promoting Newport as a vibrant place to gather, explore, and celebrate.
Huge thank you to Laura Anderson of Yaquina Lab/Central Coast Foods Web for your support. Additional sponsors: Pacific Seafood, Oregon Coast Bank, Thompson’s Sanitary Service, Englund Marine, and the Oregon Albacore Commission.