Photo: NOAA Photo Library / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Pacific whiting does not get the attention crab or salmon do, but by weight it is one of the biggest catches landed on the Oregon coast. Also called Pacific hake, it is a mild white fish that ends up as surimi, fillets and fish meal, much of it sold overseas.
A summer fishery
The shoreside whiting season usually runs from late spring through fall. Midwater trawlers deliver to plants on the Newport bayfront and in other ports, and processors run long shifts while the fish are coming in. That means seasonal work on the processing lines, plus steady business for trucking, ice and cold storage.
Set by treaty
Because the stock moves between U.S. and Canadian waters, the total catch is set each year under an agreement between the two countries, then split among the shoreside fleet, at-sea processors and tribal fisheries. Stock assessments and market prices both shape how much is actually caught.
Why it matters locally
Whiting gives Newport’s processors volume in the months between crab seasons. It also ties the town’s working waterfront to global seafood markets, so currency swings and trade rules can show up in local paychecks.
Rosalind Teague covers ocean science, coastal hazards and the people who shaped the central coast.
