Indian tribes have always inhabited the waters of western Washington, their culture and way of life have traditionally been founded on natural resources such as seafood, wildlife and other resources of the region.

Quinault Tribe member Vincent McCrory represents the next generation of tribal fisherman. He got his start working on commercial crab boats as a deckhand. Now he’s ready to take the next step: pursue a lifelong goal of owning and operating his own commercial fishing business.

At a time when many coastal communities are seeing experienced fishermen retire and exit the fleet, Vincent is stepping up to continue the tradition of commercial fishing that sustains the Tribe’s way of life. He wants to pass on his knowledge and passion of commercial fishing to his children so that they can follow in his footsteps.

It is hard, of course, to be a skipper without a boat. So Vincent found a good one — the Miss Heather, a 42-footer with 300 crab pots.

Craft3 and Taala Fund, a Native loan fund serving Quinault Tribal members, worked together to finance the boat for him. It’s just one example of how we prioritize investments in Native entrepreneurs and business owners doing great things.