November 7, 2023 — The Puyallup Tribe of Washington State has obtained a new boat that will aid in the monitoring of shellfish.
Named Sovereign One, the custom-built aluminium catamaran is better equipped to navigate rough waters than the previous monitor boat, according to Big Bean Flores, a senior shellfish monitor who has been working in the Puyallup Tribe’s shellfish department for more than 10 years. The boat’s main purpose is to keep the shellfish monitors safe, allowing them to perform their duties more effectively to ensure the safety of shellfish harvesters as well as of the shellfish themselves.