Fishermen's Terminal

The Seattle Fishermen's Terminal is the home of the North Pacific Fishing Fleet. It's also the home of some of the fishing boats seen on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch. There are more than 700 boats moored here, the vast majority of them commercial fishing vessels.

Although it's not a well-known tourist attraction, I think it's worth a visit. We, along with many other locals, like to go there to

• buy fresh fish and seafood
• have lunch or dinner (outside when the weather is nice)
• stroll down the docks to look at the colorful fishing boats, and
• take advantage of some great photo opportunities.

Fishermen's Terminal is located about three and a half miles north of downtown at 3919 18th Ave West, on Salmon Bay between the Ballard Locks and Ballard Bridge. Free two-hour parking is available.

The Seattle Fishermen's Memorial is located here at the Fishermen's Terminal. According to the bronze plaque, it is "a tribute to the men, women, their families, and the members of the fishing community who have suffered the loss of life at sea".

The names are inscribed on bronze plates and arranged by decade starting with 1900. Flowers, notes, photos, and cards are often placed in front of the walls by friends and family members.

Wild Salmon Seafood Market

Fresh Seafood

At the Wild Salmon Seafood Market, you can buy fresh seafood straight off the boats. The prices are often a little better than Pike Place Market and there are no crowds. Take it home and enjoy it tonight, or have them pack it for shipping.

There are several places to eat where you can enjoy the fresh seafood without cooking it yourself. Chinook's and Bay Cafe are both casual, sit-down restaurants that are great for family dining. Both provide great views of the water and the boats with their walls of windows. During the warm weather months, tables are available outside as well.

Chinook's also operates a walk-up or "To Go" Fish Bar called Little Chinook's. They also have several indoor booths and tables where you can sit and have lunch or dinner. We ordered the Wild Salmon Fish and Chips. It's made with fresh wild salmon and comes with homemade french fries and poppy seed coleslaw. Yum!

The Commercial Fishing Boats

You can walk up and down the piers and get a close-up look at real fishing vessels. These are not pleasure boats. With few amenities aboard, they are loaded with net-handling masts and winches and powerful flood lights. Many of them do commercial fishing in Alaska as well as up and down the Pacific Northwest coast and Puget Sound. Although some moorage is available to pleasure boats, we only saw a few out of the hundreds of boats moored there the last time we visited.

Fishing Boat Photos

This is a great place for photographers who like to take photos of ships and boats. Colorful hulls and floats and interesting boat names abound. On a sunny day, the reflections in the water are just as colorful and interesting as the boats themselves.

The Kittiwake

The shops and parking at Fishermen's Terminal

Reading the names on the Fishermen's Memorial