Since early in the 20th century, halibut fishermen have been yelling their goodbyes as they left Seattle to fish the Gulf of Alaska.

The Seymour has changed little since it was built in 1913, although modern technology now fills the wheelhouse. The halibut industry shifted dramatically in the 1990s, when the fishery was regulated to make it safer and more sustainable. Before the current quota system was established, chaotic derby-style seasons saw boats race to capture as many fish as possible.

“We would go out just jacked on these one- and two-day pulse openings, setting more lines than we could possibly get in. You’re not handling the fish properly,” said John McHenry, the now-retired owner of the Seymour. “The last derby opening we made was in a storm; I don’t know how many people died during that opening. It was very violent. … There was just too many of us, too many boats.”

The next generation of halibut fishermen — which includes McHenry’s son, Jack — is closely tracking the collapse of fisheries off the country’s eastern shore.

“Look what’s happened on the East Coast,” said Jim Johnson, executive director of the Deep Sea Fishermen's Union. “It’s a resource to exploit and damn the torpedoes. … We are very serious about the sustainability of the fisheries.”

But even as growth squeezes the working waterfront, maritime industries hold on.

“It’s always going to be a viable port city, providing the existing land along the shoreline remains industrial lands,” said Vince O'Halloran, a representative of the Sailors' Union of the Pacific.

But he warns, “It’s low-hanging fruit for real estate developers that want to build condos and have a lot of money to spend.”