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About The Siuslaw news. (Florence, Lane County, Or.) 1960-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 2, 2020)
SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2020 | 9A PHOTOS BY MARK BRENNAN/SIUSLAW NEWS The Federated Seafood team prepares to disembark from the Port of Siuslaw. The Seahawk OS II has its own trailer for easy transport. FISHING from page 1A He uses rods and reels to catch fish, has a new, technologically loaded North River Offshore Se- ahawk fishing vessel, and processes his catch imme- diately upon docking. He has also started Fed- erated Seafood to market his smoked and frozen fish. He revealed his prod- ucts this season at the Florence Farmers Market. “Having local fish fro- zen and ready to go in the freezer is a great way for people to get more out of living on the coast. If you live here, you should reap all the benefits of being here,” he said. Shragge and his partner Emily Campo approached this new endeavor with no illusions. Shragge had previously spent time working in the fishing in- dustry and had other life experiences which he felt would be important in his success. “I was working in the offshore oil and gas in- dustry in Houston after graduating from the Texas Maritime Academy, where I got my master’s in inter- national logistics and mar- itime administration as well as a Third Mates Un- limited Tonnage License from the Coast Guard and trained to be an officer on larger ships,” he said. “I bought my house in Dunes City, a major fixer upper, and bought a small boat and fished every day that I could, recreational- ly. I caught a lot of salm- on and started smoking it and giving it to friends and family.” Federated Seafood’s offerings have been well received by the public and demand for Shrag- ge’s products continues to increase as he grows the delivery and culinary components of his new business. At the end of November, Shragge moved confident- ly around the impressive vessel from the Seahawk Offshore Series, made by industry leader North Boats. He was checking it over before going out to sea while he related how he made the shift from recreational fishing to commercial fishing. For Shragge, the most important component of a successful fishing busi- ness was simple. He deter- mined he needed a boat, a really good boat, so even- tually he purchased the Seahawk OS II. His boat is a deep, dark blue and made from lightweight, strong materials, with large engines and numer- ous sturdy, steel railings. It came with a price tag in excess of $250,000. “It’s a different, more modern approach to sup- plying seafood locally,” he said of fishing near Flor- ence. “The Heceta Banks are 40 miles offshore and I need to get out and back in one day. The bigger, slower boats cannot trav- el more than 50 miles in a day — I can do that in approximately two hours. While typical speeds for other boats are less than 15 knots, more like 8 to 10, Shragge can reach 25- 35 knots an hour econom- ically. “I have incredible sonar, radar and speed,” he add- COME SHOP ALL TH THE E GREAT GIFTS, DECOR, AND MORE! ’T ! N DO R GET PICK-UP SOME GIFT CERTIFICATES FO FOR ALL THE ELVES ON YOUR LIST! Create the Season Indoors and outdoors with GREAT gifts from Laurel Bay Gardens! Light Candles full of fragrances of the season Fragrance Garden fresh wreaths In the Garden Outdoor Decor Living Christmas trees, holly bushes, winter shrubs w/ bright berries New! Statues, birdbaths, pottery. Tradition Sparkle Holiday décor, ornaments, wreaths Indoor Plants Bird Feeders Budded Camellias 31 st Anniversary Oregon jams, jellies, Fragrant Soaps. LCB#6718 Patios • Pathways • Fire Pits Outdoor Lighting • Irrigation Systems Home & Garden Décor 10% Senior Discount Every Tuesday elsewhere have been en- couraging. One way to support lo- cal fishermen like Shrag- ge is to purchase fish that have been frozen imme- diately after being caught. Shragge also wants people to consider freezing fish seasonally for long term use. “Fishing is seasonal, subject to the weather and environment. And some- times the fish don’t bite, so we do our best to keep what we can available,” he said. “Albacore, salmon and halibut are summer fish; ling cod and rockfish are available most of the year. So I price according to my costs and try to be cheaper than the alterna- tives. “ Federated Seafood has a comprehensive website at federatedseafood.com which offers customers recipes centered around their latest catches, ways to purchase fish using COVID protocols, and information on upcoming product selections. “No one is getting rich doing this,” Shragge said. “I just hope I can create a sustainable business that enriches my community and shares the beautiful bounty with my neigh- bors.” For more information, call Shragge at 541-901- 1571 or interact with Fed- erated Seafood on Face- book. STATE from page 1A This includes investing into housing and home- lessness, COVID-19 pan- demic response, senior long-term care, health care, behavioral health, K-12 education, broad- band expansion, early learning and childcare, environmental justice, worker relief and work- place protection and wildfire recovery and pre- paredness, “We have been tested to the core and the most vi- tal needs of Oregon fam- ilies — health, safety, ed- ucation, housing and the ability to earn a living — have all been challenged in new ways,” Brown said. “During these tough times, Oregonians have stepped up at every turn to protect their friends, families, and neighbors. The compassionate spirit of our state has anchored us in what really mat- ters: keeping each other healthy and well. Through fires, floods and a global pandemic, we are deter- mined to rise and rebuild. And as we do, we must ensure an equitable future for Oregon, where every- one has the opportunity to thrive and every voice is heard.” Learn more about the proposed budget and the governor’s press confer- ence in the next edition of the Siuslaw News. Oregon communities off the map; deepened polit- ical divisions and the un- timely deaths of black and brown neighbors from across the country that inspired Oregonians to march in our streets with a clarion call for racial jus- tice.” Oregon’s proposed bud- get will specifically go toward “ensuring all Or- egonians’ basic needs are met,” equity in education and the environment, sup- porting small businesses and workers, reforming the criminal justice sys- tems and improving sys- tems to better outcomes. 25% OFF any regular priced GIFT SHOP ITEM Only at Laurel Bay Gardens thru 12/07/20 Offering Curbside and Phone Orders Monday - Saturday 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM Sunday open from 10:00 - 5:00 Award-winning Landscaping Service smaller boats and have the ability to take proper care of the fish, so I upgrad- ed my permits to include ‘fish buying,’” Shragge said. “I show up with my scale and cash, unload the fish myself and then take it to get processed and fro- zen.” Family is also an im- portant reason for Shrag- ge’s concerted approach to this endeavor. He points in particular to his mother as the inspiration for how he approaches this proj- ect, and life in general. “After losing my mom to breast cancer in 2017, I found myself wanting more of a sense of pur- pose and connection to my community. She start- ed and ran a successful office machines business with her brother, went to college, raised two kids, started working for non-profits, and finally retired as the CFO, aka director of income, for the Girl Scouts of Amer- ica in San Diego County,” Shragge said. “She was a huge proponent of max- imizing life, getting the most out of every day as possible and pushing us to be happy, healthy and re- sponsible. She lived by the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated.” The work ethic instilled by his mother seems to be paying dividends for Shragge as his sales at the farmers market here and Colorful Bright Poinsettias Fragrant Cyclamens Air Plants Yumm Add Holiday Cheer! ed. “With 120 gallons of fuel, I can go farther and faster in one day than any other boat.” Shragge is also com- mitted to delivering a high-quality product to consumers and goes to great length to assure freshness. He has been working through the de- tails of his new business over the past few months and has established a good working relationship with the popular Charleston, Ore., seafood market and restaurant, Chucks. Shragge is able to launch from the dock at Charles- ton and delivers his catch to Chucks for processing immediately after landing. “My boat is on a trailer so I can follow the fish and save time and money on maintenance. We go out of Charleston for rockfish and ling cod, and Win- chester Bay and Florence for salmon and halibut, and then all over for Alba- core,” he said. Shragge has also started to help other small oper- ators to get their catches to market in a timely way, while maintaining a de- cent pricing structure and selling fish caught locally to consumers. “Depending on my de- mand from my local cus- tomers and farmers mar- ket, I can supplement my inventory with other local fisherman’s fish. … I met other fisherman that have 88493 Hwy. 101 Florence 997-5973 www.LaurelBayGardens.com Find us on Facebook All types of roofing and repairs. Single Ply and Composition Specialist. CCCB#222167 541-972-1818 Speak your peace. Write a Let- ter to the Editor. Editor@ The Siuslaw News.com
