Lacey Smith is a fourth generation resident, born and raised Port Orford. Her grandmother worked at a cannery, and her grandfather was a fisherman. He once caught this great white shark in his nets.

Cranes on the dock at the Port of Port Orford

The biggest challenge of life as a fisherman? Dealing with the weather, says Rodney Fisher. There can sometimes be two or three week stretches of nasty weather where boats can't go out. After fourteen years of working on the ocean, Fisher has learned how to deal with the economic inconsistencies of his work.

A fishing boat returns to port.

The dock at Port Orford.

If Wilson Thompson can make $200 in one day of fishing, he can cover his costs. Yesterday he made $103. "A lot of people wouldn't work for so little, but I kind of have to," says Wilson.

A view from the bay at Port Orford.

Richard Tessier works part-time at the Shell gas station in Port Orford, "just so I can meet people," he says.

Zach Perdue, 21 and Fay Perry, 19, got engaged about a year ago. He works as a ranch hand at a cattle ranch just north of town, she's a waitress at the Crazy Norwegian restaurant. They live a short distance outside of town, and they're here for the night to do laundry.

A slug traverses the sidewalk in Port Orford.

Tom Smith grew up in Port Orford, but left town after high school to work as a cartographer for the US Geological Survey. He had a career that took him all over the country, but never encountered any place that he liked so much as Port Orford.

When Gary Kulley moved to Port Orford 35 years ago and opened his business, he says there were 1,080 people living in town. The population today is 1,150. "That's not a good thing, from a business perspective," says Kulley. "We need controlled growth." 

Paradise Point, just north of Port Orford.

Ginger Dezem is grateful for her job as assistant manager at Sterling Bank. Her husband, a fisherman, passed away about six months ago from a chronic illness. The community support was wonderful, she says. But in a town this small, it can be hard to maintain a sense of privacy. 
  "It's kind of like having a big family," she says. "You love them, but sometimes you need them to back off." 
  As a mother of four, Dezem is not sure that she wants her kids to stay here. "I don't want to see them go into the fishing industry," says Dezem. "It's lucrative if you have your own boat, but it's just not worth it as a deck hand." 

Early morning at the Port of Port Orford.