Gig Harbor, WA

Address: 3211 56th Street N.W., Gig Harbor, Washington, 98355
Phone: 800-SEA-SALT (800-732-7258)

Gig Harbor has been a fishing community literally for more than a century. Many individuals involved in the maritime industry learned their trade from their family connections.

In Gig Harbor, we have clients who are both active in the Washington and Oregon fishery, as well as merchant mariners living in Gig Harbor and the greater Gig Harbor area, but working aboard oceangoing vessels. It's not uncommon to have mariners in Gig Harbor roaming the seas everywhere from San Diego to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Purse seiners have had to diversify, and salmon is no longer the exclusive catch. Halibut, herring, tuna, cod, mackerel and other species are now caught in the Gig Harbor area.

In the past, we have represented maritime injury cases from vessels with crews as small as one person. Commonly, smaller vessels will have two to three crew members. Nonetheless, in many circumstances, persons working and injured on these vessels, no matter how small, may qualify for federal benefits under the Jones Act and general maritime law.

Many mariners working aboard small boats are unfamiliar with their rights under federal law, and many often assume that because it's a "small" boat, they have no rights. In many circumstances there are employer insurance collective groups providing insurance coverage or, in appropriate circumstances, a lien against a vessel may apply automatically as a result of injury; a vessel may be subject to attachment to ensure compensation for medical expense and injury loss.

Gig Harbor is still a very important maritime community, both in terms of vessels fishing and mariners residing in Gig Harbor, but working on oceangoing or inland vessels. We meet injury at sea clients and work maritime injury cases from Gig Harbor.