SENATE RESOLUTION

                           8769

By Senators Kohl-Welles, Gardner, Spanel, Swecker, Oke, Snyder, Johnson, Roach, Fraser, and Haugen

     WHEREAS, The Washington State commercial fishing fleet begins leaving in March and the Blessing of the Fleet will occur at Fisherman's Terminal in Ballard, March 10, 2002; and

     WHEREAS, This is the seventy-fourth year that the Ballard First Lutheran Church has held the blessing; and

     WHEREAS, The Washington State commercial fishing fleet begins leaving Blaine waters in May and the Blessing of the Fleet will occur at Saw Tooth Dock in Blaine Harbor, May 5, 2002; and

     WHEREAS, The Washington State commercial fishing fleet is one of the world's largest distant water fleets; and

     WHEREAS, The commercial fishing industry directly and indirectly employs thousands of people; and

     WHEREAS, The harvest annually generates hundreds of millions of dollars in economic contributions to the Washington State economy; and

     WHEREAS, The commercial fishing industry is one of the largest industries in Washington State; and

     WHEREAS, The life of a fisher is one fraught with danger and hardship that most of us will never face; and

     WHEREAS, Strength and courage are basic requirements for anyone who chooses to work on the high seas, battling the elements in order to harvest nature's bounty; and

     WHEREAS, The men and women who work on boats, living between God and the sea, and never certain which will claim them first, deserve our admiration, thanks, and when tragedy strikes, our remembrance; and

     WHEREAS, Too often fishers do lose their lives, and their deaths devastate not only the tightly knit fabric that is the community of fishing families in our region, but also our entire state;

     NOW BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate extend its condolences to the families and friends of all our fishermen and women who have lost their lives at sea, and wish the entire commercial fishing fleet a safe and prosperous season and that all fishing men and women will return home safely to their families, friends, and communities.

I, Tony M. Cook, Secretary of the Senate,

do hereby certify that this is a true and

correct copy of Senate Resolution 8769,

adopted by the Senate March 9, 2002.

TONY M. COOK

Secretary of the Senate