Our Beautiful and Wild Oregon Fisheries, 150 Years of Innovation opens on June 1st at the Pacific Maritime Heritage Center in Newport. Whether you work in Oregon's fisheries or are new to the seafood table, this exhibit offers a rare opportunity to be immersed in the story behind Oregon and Yaquina Bay's far-reaching commercial fishing fleet.

The largest fisheries in Oregon: Dungeness crab, pink shrimp, Albacore tuna, Chinook salmon, groundfish, and Pacific whiting are central to this exhibit. Politics, regulations, globalization, consumer food preferences, environmental conservation, and ingenuity have all shaped the region's commercial fishing fleet and maritime culture.

Oregon contributes a small part of the global fish catch, but it is a huge part of our coastal economy. By minimizing habitat impacts and being selective in catching target species, Oregon has some of the best-managed fisheries in the world.

Showcasing Oregon's successful emergence as a world leader in sustainable seafood, this is the story of how our fishermen, fish processors, fishery managers, scientists, conservation groups and port communities meet the challenges of wild harvest fisheries to feed a growing population. Over a year and a half in the making, this exhibit is the largest and most complex the museum has undergone.

The museum is open 11am-4pm, Thursday through Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and children under 12 are admitted free.

Pacific Maritime Heritage Center, 333 SE Bay Blvd., Newport