Aaron Longton
Voices from POORT
POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) supports its mission of long term sustainability of ocean resources and community through various initiatives. These include the Blue Water Task Force which tests water quality monthly as well as the Port Orford Community Stewardship Area that has identified traditional fishing grounds. They also support many scientific efforts such as the Rockfish Tagging Project and the Dive Survey and Seaweed Collection. Members of the POORT provide interviews and discuss information that is important to the unique small community of Port Orford in southern Oregon. Smaller boats and a unique geography contribute to the charm and characteristics of this community. Learn about fishing from Port Orford and other activities surrounding this unique community. For more information on POORT, check out their website at www.oceanresourcetean.org.
Sarah Calhoun interviewed Aaron Longton in Port Orford, Oregon, on July 18, 2014 as part of the Voices from POORT (Port Orford Ocean Resource Team) project. Aaron discusses how he began his commercial fishing career in his late 30s by buying a boat and salmon permit, upgrading with salmon disaster compensation money, and working hard. He discusses how privatization of the fishery has made it more difficult for younger people to enter the fishery, the pros and cons of privatization, including its negative social impacts on small communities. He talks about the unique characteristics of Port Orford with its shallow ports necessitating a small-scale hook and line fishery, the many different support industries in the port, and the need for a managed and sustainable harvest to support resource-dependent communities. He describes his own advocacy and sustainability work in industry, including direct marketing and local markets and processing in the community, problems in the food system and his part fixing it, and the reasons he loves to fish.
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