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.

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!

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.

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

Seven local Oregon breweries crafting seaweed beers specifically for the February Winter Waters dining series, so we decided to get them all in the same bar so you can try them side by side.

A last-minute visit to the tide pools at the base of Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach turned out to be the best decision. It’s rare for a winter low tide to align during daylight hours, and even more rare for it to come without wild ocean conditions.

We loved making seaweed cyanotypes so much last year, that we decided to do it again! A hands-on interaction day playing with dried seaweed specimens and creating art to take home.

We really filled the house for this one at the Pelican Brewing pub in Cannon Beach, Oregon. With over 50 attendees, it was a lively evening full of fun and engaging education. If you’ve ever been to one of our trivia nights, you know they are packed with fascinating content about fisheries and marine biology.

A huge shoutout to Siletz Valley School’s culinary director Patrick Clarke and his students, who teamed up with the Local Ocean Seafoods culinary team for our Winter Waters dinner.

Chef Jack created a special menu infusing exquisite farmed sea vegetables into common ingredients. This evening showcased a simple coastal menu, with exceptional flavor and presentation.

Any seafare feast, overhanging the water, with panaramic views of Tillamook Bay are incredible, but especially when Tournant are your chefs, and you get to try your haul at crabbing!