-Jim Anderson-

When he was only five years old, Jim Anderson had to stand on an apple crate to see where he was headed when he took the helm of the CPFV Miss Princeton. Nevertheless, despite his young age the passengers on his father’s charter vessel were assured of a safe voyage. Fishing was the only thing of interest to young Jim, and each morning he was up before dawn, ready to go. He spent the better part of his early life at sea, and fondly recalls nap times spent cozily lounging in the galley sink. Ultimately, however, his mother prevailed – the boat was sold, and all arguments about going fishing vs. attending school came to an end. However, at the age of seventeen, Jim bought his first commercial fishing boat, the F/V Dawn, a 34-foot wooden double-ender built for the Columbia River, and took off in pursuit of salmon. After a few years of fishing, “Jimmy Dawn,” as he was by then known, took time off to build a winery for his mother, who was terminally ill.

In the late1980s, Captain Anderson purchased the F/V Allaine, an unfinished 50-foot steel vessel, from Martin Allen’s boatyard in Moss Landing. After adding steering, a shaft and rudder, he brought it home to Pillar Point for finishing. Today, Jim  fishes the Allaine for Dungeness crab and California king salmon.

Jim is extremely active advocating for his industry serving not only on the Board of Directors for HMBSMA but also on the California Salmon Council, the Dungeness Crab Taskforce and the California Dungeness Crab Fishing Gear Working Group as well as promoting sales direct from fishermen in Pillar Point Harbor. When asked if his advocacy was his way of helping to ensure the ocean resources were adequately protected, he replied: “No, we’ve always understood sustainability. I’m just trying to help the fleet, the folks I’ve grown up with, to deal with the bureaucracy.”