Dale Beasley

President
Columbia River Crab Fisherman's Association & Coalition of Coastal Fisheries

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Dale Beasley is a well-known successful fisherman and tireless community servant dedicated to improving coastal community wellbeing by achieving positive solutions for critical public needs—especially protecting clean water for fish as an active member of the National Water Protection Network. Beasley joined the University of Washington Sea Grant advisory team to transition the helm of the very successful West Coast Tristate crabber/towlane negotiations, which save both industries millions every year. He served thirty-six years as a volunteer fireman achieving the rank of Captain and training officer. He worked to significantly upgrade NW coastal marine weather forecasting achieving the nations’ 1st dual polarized zero degree Doppler radar, CDIP buoys, and redesigned coastal weather buoy system to facilitate marine safety and oil spill prevention. Other accomplishments include essential marine conservation improvements through the original Magnuson FCMA; spearheading the Dungeness Crab Act; USACE reform to upgrade water project resource guidelines and standards to include environmental impacts; helping design new marine scientific tools for monitoring of more environmentally sensitive enhanced ocean dredge disposal methods, which have been adopted for use by EPA and are currently saving the lives of fishermen and crabs. Beasley helped secure a dedicated funding source with a 10% carve out of Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund account for small port channel dredging needs all across the country. Beasley is still on the drawing board shaping Washington Coastal Marine Spatial Planning and local Shoreline Master Programs into CZM state/NOAA CZM certifications, in order to protect and preserve existing sustainable uses of coastal marine waters, including fishing from 200 feet upland to 200 miles offshore. Beasley has a BS in Geology from Western Washington University. He is currently retired from a 45 year fishing career but still active as president of both the Columbia River Crab Fisherman’s Association and the Coalition of Coastal Fisheries with member groups all along the West Coast.