Port earns award for Westport’s Fresh Catch campaign

By The Daily World • October 1, 2021 1:30 am
Courtesy of Port of Grays Harbor The Westport Fresh Catch campaign includes this colorful sign at the Westport Marina alerting visitors to which of the wide variety of seafood species will be coming across the docks, and when.
Courtesy of Port of Grays Harbor The Westport Fresh Catch campaign includes this colorful sign at the Westport Marina alerting visitors to which of the wide variety of seafood species will be coming across the docks, and when.

The Port of Grays Harbor was awarded the American Association of Port Authorities’ (AAPA) Lighthouse Award for overall communications excellence at its 110th annual convention for the Port’s part in the Westport’s Fresh Catch promotional campaign.

A collaborative effort between the city of Westport’s tourism arm Experience Westport, Catch Invest: Catch Together, Capture.Share.Repeat and the Westport Marina, Westport’s Fresh Catch was launched to connect local residents and the thousands of visitors to the South Beach area to the abundance of fresh, local seafood that comes across Westport’s docks.

To date, the public outreach initiative has included new signage on the Westport Marina Esplanade, a new webpage on Experiencewestport.com, a Facebook page, and three videos, with two more to come. While the project is still in its infancy and growing, benefits are already being realized by local fishermen and businesses, as well as consumers who are easily able to find fresh, local seafood.

“Westport’s Fresh Catch has been a great asset for our residents, visitors, local fishermen, and businesses alike,” said Port Commissioner Tom Quigg. “We applaud our staff and the many partners that have worked so hard on this effort over the last year or so. It is certainly rewarding to see the community benefit from the effort and we are honored and proud to be recognized along with all of our partners for this effort.”

Westport Mayor Rob Bearden agreed.

“Westport’s Fresh Catch project has been a great addition to Westport’s communication and advertising campaign. It helps our local residents, fishing community, and visitors alike as it effectively communicates where to locate Westport’s top-notch, fresh seafood and teaches the world about what our community has to offer,” said Bearden. “We thank all of our partners for their hard work on this project, and we are excited to see where Westport’s Fresh Catch goes from here.”

The Port of Grays Harbor took home the top award in the Category 1 division. The Ports of Everett and Vancouver USA shared the honor for Category 2 ports, and the Georgia Ports Authority was the overall winner among Category 3 ports. The three categories are based on the size of the port’s public relations and marketing budget.