Oregon Seafood Prospector
Keeping local seafood local to help grow resilient, equitable, and delicious coastal food economies
The Oregon Coast is known for spectacular landscapes, a diverse cultural history, and abundant natural resources. What is holding back coastal communities from retaining the benefits of self-sufficient, local food systems?
In the future, we want resilient communities in Oregon that are food-secure, environmentally sustainable, and healthy. To support this goal, we need to look at the whole picture of the Coast's food system—not just at the fisheries and farms that produce food, but the infrastructural systems of processing, distribution, and points of consumption that make it all function. We need to look at not just the what and who but the where, so that we can assure that these systems really work to support vibrant local communities.
Fisheries + Seafood
Wild caught seafood is the most sustainable animal-based protein sources available. It has vastly lower carbon footprint than beef, pork or chicken and zero artificial production "in-puts" because the ocean feeds and sustains wild caught seafood until we are ready to catch and harvest it.
Oregon-landed seafood is amongst the most sustainably harvested in the world thanks to well-managed state fisheries and third party sustainability certification of pink shrimp, ground fish, Pacific hake and Dungeness crab. Why import lower quality seafood?
Oregon's "Blue Economy" is driven by its commercial fishing industry, which resulted in an onshore harvest of $160.7 million in 2019. About $53.8 million (33%) of that value was exported to markets outside the United States.
Visitors to the Oregon coast spend about $800 million on food and food service per year. Meanwhile, 90% of the seafood purchased is sourced from outside of Oregon. The disconnect between local production and local consumption is unsustainable, and limits the quality of life and quality of experience for coastal communities and visitors alike.
Commercial Fisheries Landings
Where are fish and seafood brought in to Oregon's ports?
Value of fish and seafood landed, 2023
Port of Astoria, Oregon
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife monitors and reports commercial fishery landings data for 9 different port groups.
Commercial landings of fish, crustaceans, and molluscs in the Newport port group exceed all other port groups. The proportion of the total landings made up by crustaceans (mainly Dungeness crab) increases moving from north to south.
For more details, continue to the commercial landings dashboard below.
ODFW Commercial Landings
Tidelands Shellfish and Aquaculture
Where are commercial shellfish harvest and estuary aquaculture permitted?
Commercial Shellfish Harvest
U.S. Coast Guard boathouse on Tillamook Bay
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife permits commercial growing and harvesting of oysters, and in some cases of clams and mussels, in the state-owned tidelands of five coastal estuaries. In these areas, plats are leased to commercial operators. Beyond these units, a look at local land use suggests where estuary aquaculture might be permitted, and former mill sites could present opportunities for new land-based facilities with water access and rights.
Continue below for information about each of these estuaries.
Tillamook and Netarts Area
Yaquina and Alsea Bays
Umpqua River
Coos Bay and Blind Slough
Processing + Infrastructure
Transforming coastal foods from raw materials to value-added products, and getting them where they need to go.
Processing and logistical infrastructure is a critical part of any food system, supporting the value-added chains that businesses need to thrive, as well as the supply chain that gets food products onto people's dinner plates. The capacity and needs for this infrastructure vary widely depending on the type of food product, as well as who is producing and consuming them.
The Infrastructure
Do we have the built and operational infrastructure we need to make local food systems work?
Ports and Wholesale Dealers
Yaquina Bay and Harbor, Newport, OR
Fisherfolk bring their into catch in through ports, harbors, estuaries, and rivers throughout the coast and Columbia River.
Licensed wholesale fish dealers are the first link in the supply chain. Other dealers are licensed for bait production or limited direct-to-consumer sales. Not all wholesale fish dealers are open to the public.
Seafood processing and storage
Processors and commercial kitchens are licensed to add value to landings and harvests, offering live, whole, to be cooked, and ready to eat product. Storage warehouses, including cold and dry storage, keep seafood in the right condition as its awaits distribution.
Shellfish Packers and Distributors
Shellfish harvesters and growers need shucker-packers and distributors to get their product to market. Many small businesses fill multiple roles in this tight supply chain.
Consumption
Transportation accounts for approximately 14% of the total energy used in the U.S. food system*, so making sure that where people eat their food and where it comes from are as close as possible can have a real impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
* According to Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
Local Farmers Market in Southern Oregon
Good Eating
Where are the opportunities to put local foods onto local plates?
Retail
Farmers markets, grocery stores, and other food retail are an essential endpoint in the food systems supply chain, bringing raw and value-added products to consumers.
Increasingly, there are options to buy direct from local producers and food makers. Our partners at Oregon Taste maintain an online directory organized by various categories of fresh foods and pantry products.
Restaurants
Old Oregon Smoke House, Rockaway Beach, Oregon
Restaurants, bars, and cafes that offer dining service can be another great market for fish and seafood, showcasing seasonality and able to be responsive to market pricing.
Institutions
Institutional settings that provide food service, such as schools and hospitals, are a great opportunity to increase the share of fresh, local foods. Both schools and hospitals have a natural emphasis on nutrition, and offer the chance to educate about food sustainability and local economies.
Community Vulnerability
Residents of the coastal communities have lifeways and livelihoods that are wrapped up with food systems. Equitable investment in local food systems can help to mitigate the vulnerabilities that these communities face.
NOAA Coastal Communities Social Vulnerability Indicators
These indicators are based on a range of demographic and economic factors from the 2020 U.S. Census, and give us a broad sense of the headwinds coastal Oregonians face.
*Get more details by clicking on each location.
Resources
Ready to dive in deeper?
Do your own analysis with all the data together on one map:
Check out where the datasets come from and what organizations maintain them:
About this Project
This is just the beginning. Everyone needs food, and whatever we can do to make our food systems more local and more sustainable contributes to ensuring that our communities flourish. People and organizations working in areas as diverse as gastronomy, community health, environment and sustainability, economic development, and emergency management can all come together around initiatives to strengthen food systems on the Oregon coast.
