Seattle’s fishing fleet feels the pinch from rising fuel prices 

The price of a gallon of diesel fuel has been hovering around its all-time record high mark within the state. As of Monday, the price sits at $6.794, a slight drop from the $6.804 mark set on Sunday.

“Everything runs on diesel,” Garrett Gunderson, a captain of the commercial longliner fishing vessel Sunward, told KIRO Newsradio.

As he prepared to head out to deep water in search of halibut and black cod, he said rising oil prices means he has to factor in the cost of doing business.

“It’s 20 grand to leave the dock, you know, with fuel, bait, ice, and groceries,” Gunderson said.

Statewide, diesel prices have continued to outpace gasoline prices, adding a significant cost for fishing boats. For example, the price per gallon at Shilshole Bay Marina on Monday morning was more than $7.

More captains are feeling the financial impact

Brian Dafforn is the captain of another longliner fishing vessel, the Polaris. He said fuel prices are on everyone’s mind right now, noting that there’s a lot less money to split among his crew. And he worries the math may not pencil out.

“If it’s a whole lot of work and it’s not a lot of money, then maybe it’s not worth it,” Dafforn shared. “Usually it comes down to how many guys can I afford to work for me.”

Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy, said pricing won’t improve until the Strait of Hormuz reopens.

“At the end of the day, that’s really what matters from an oil perspective, from gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel prices,” De Haan said.

Dafforn and other fishing boat captains have seen their share of fuel fluctuations and other challenges, weathering both literal and figurative storms.

“Whenever I look at the news, it’s always bad,” he stated. “I have a lot to handle just with the boat, and so I just try to focus on that.”