The 26th Annual Fishermen's Fall Festival will be welcoming the North Pacific fishing fleet home Saturday, October 4. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. the public is invited to Fishermen’s Terminal to taste this year’s harvest, welcome home the fishers and honor the men and women who have lost their lives at sea.

This is a special year for Fishermen’s Terminal as they celebrate their centennial after being dedicated on January 10, 1914.

Fishermen’s Terminal is the location for the Fishermen’s Memorial: a sculpture and bronze plaque dedicated in 1988 that stands as a place where families can honor loved ones lost at sea. More than 675 local men and women are honored under the towering statue. Funds raised by the festival go to maintaining the memorial and to the Fishermen’s Memorial Foundation. The foundation is a non-profit formed to support families of the fishing industry with counseling, maritime training services and scholarships.

Fishermen’s Terminal General Manager, Kenny Lyles, said the memorial is a premiere monument for fishermen on the west coast.

“The monument honors the fishers that lost their lives at sea. … If you die at sea there is no grave and families come to memorialize their loved ones here. If you come down and look at the monument, there are almost 700 names engraved in bronzes. It’s hallowed ground where families come to memorialize and pay homage to fallen family members,” said Lyles.

The festival is an all-volunteer event and over 200 individuals devote their time and resources for the homecoming.

“It’s a celebration of the harvest but more so a celebration of the safe returned of the fleet to the fishery. …There are a number of fundraisers through out the year and this is more of a significant one. There’s donated salmon, crab and scallops that is prepared for the luncheon and sold to raise money for the memorial. But it’s also a one day opportunity to exhibit all that the industry has to offer and educate the public about what the industry is all about.”

Warren Aakervik (Ret.) of Ballard Oil has been barbecuing at the festival since its inception 25 years ago. This year Aakervik has volunteers from Occidental Masonic Lodge No. 72 manning the alder smokers where huge fillets of fresh Coho salmon will be prepared for hungry festivalgoers.

“There are quite a few volunteers from the Occidental Lodge this year, and I’ve taught them what I know and they are really stepping up. … It’s my commitment to the industry to show what they do for us. Lots of people underestimate what it is to have a resource that brings more than $2 billion into the states economy each year,” said Aakervik.

Salmon, crab and other species harvested will be on display for public viewing, giving a glimpse of what fishers pull from the sea in tons.

Port of Seattle

This year Trident Seafoods is donating Coho salmon for the luncheon.

“We have over 700 pounds of fresh Coho fillets coming down for the boys to cook up for the crowd,” said John van Amerongen of Trident foods. “The benefits go to the Fishermen’s Memorial. It’s very important not only for grief counseling they offer but for the memorial itself and the education opportunities for the fishing industry.”

Alder smoked salmon is not the only offering from the sea on the menu. This year there is an appetizing procession of entrees honoring the harvest including Alaskan Cod tacos, Alaskan Bairdi Crab melts and Alaskan Weathervane Scallops. All entrees are $10 and under.

“The money that goes to the memorial is great but it [the also brings community awareness to what the fishing industry is. It’s the best festival around and focuses on showing the public what they probably don’t think about, which is how these fishermen go out and risk their lives to bring back what the sea has to offer,“ said Aakervik.

In addition to the seafood feast, there are plenty of opportunities for fun for all ages. There are complimentary art projects with fishing themes for the kids and a trout pond. There is also the Salmon Fillet Challenge, and the popular Survival Suit Race is a crowd favorite.

For the race, volunteers put on a survival suit, or “Gumby suit,” and plunge into Salmon Bay. They swim 50 yards to a survival boat and climb in.

Trident Seafoods’ team has won the race in the past with a time shy of two minutes.

“It’s really pretty cool. Our founder is usually there at the finish line urging racers on. ... It’s very similar to an actual safety drill, and we have people on staff that train the crew and it’s something they do all the time. It’s quite challenging to swim that far in those suits,” said van Amerongen.

The race is a spectacle for sure, but also a reminder of the danger and risk the fishermen face at sea, the sacrifice they make in pursuit of a livelihood -- all more the reason to celebrate their homecoming this year.

Van Amerongen knows the feeling of coming back to port after months at sea all to well. Van Amerongen got his first job in the fishing industry at Fishermen’s Terminal in 1970. He was on a purse seiner and fished Alaskan waters.

“In June you can’t wait to get out there and fish, but after months at sea, come September, you just can’t wait to come home.”