Short term future of Berth 55b seems secure but long term still remains in jeopardy

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A source very close to PFO said that an official meeting took place today and that the short term future of Long Beach Sportfishing and the Berth 55 seafood market seems secure but the long term future is still in doubt.

It appears that Berth 55 will be around in to 2013 but after that is anyone’s guess. Berth 55 was given an eviction notice that would throw out Long Beach Sportfishing and the Berth 55 seafood market on October 30. If an extension is granted, that would give both the aforementioned entities as well as several other small businesses that call Berth 55 home some time to try and continue talks.

"What happened at the meeting today may possibly buy several monthstime pending further consideration from the port and leaseholders," the source told Phil Friedman Outdoors.

While this is good news for the employees and customers at Berth 55, the long term future remains unclear.

The Port of Long Beach wants to put a fireboat in place of the Berth 55 businesses some of which have been here for over 42 years. Many argue that this is the worst possible place to put a fire boat as it is located so far back in the harbor and with a no wake policy, would severely delay response time.

Long Beach Fire Chief Mike DuRee does not agree. "Currently, our large fire boats can travel just over 6 knots without a significant wake. In most cases, this speed is adequate to respond to an inland water based response. The boat explosion that has been referenced was handled this way. The Fire boat responded at safe speeds and was able to be on the scene within 5 minutes of the initial call for help. Additionally, our new boats that will be coming online within the next 18 months have the capability of traveling much faster without a significant wake. The specification calls for speeds of up to 9 knots with a 4 to 6 inch wake," said DuRee.

So for now, it looks like Berth 55 is safe but the question that looms is for how long.

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