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Ed Balfour is a traditional offshore fisherman. He is captain of the F/B Brandywine, a commercial fishing boat that operates out of Winchester Bay, which has a sand bar that Balfour says “ranks right up with the Columbia River bar as one of the nastiest bars on the Oregon coast. So, if you don't know your tides, you don't know your currents, and if you don't watch the ebb tide or the headwater you're not going to be here long." Respected for his knowledge of fishery, his insistence on careful preparation, and his courage on the high seas, Balfour doesn’t blink when it comes to fishing for tuna 200 miles offshore. Raised in nearby Reedsport, at five years of age Balfour was already "running [the] docks” at Winchester Bay. At the age of 15, he was working summers on fishing boats in Alaska. His mother, Juanita "Nita" Balfour, who passed on her knowledge to her son, has been and continues to be an integral part of his fishery. For over 20 years, Balfour and his mother co-owned a commercial fishing boat. The Oregon Coast has a long history of commercial fishing and processing. Commercial salmon fisheries developed in the 1860s, supporting early fish canning enterprises in Astoria, Tillamook Bay, Yaquina Bay, and Gold Beach. By the turn of the twentieth century, commercial fishing had become a critical part of the coastal economy. Balfour and his crew harvest crab offshore during the winter season, then fish for halibut, black cod, salmon, and tuna the remainder of the year. Balfour, a stickler for detail, runs three deckhands for crabbing, which uses crab traps; long-line for halibut and black cod; trolls for salmon; and trolls with jigs for tuna. For tuna fishing, Balfour runs 14 jigs on separate lines, where each jig has a double hook but no barb. Two crew members in the gaffing hatch (a well in the boat) stand by to pull the tuna in, while a third crew member runs the boat. Each tuna weighs from 8 to 40 pounds. When the crew returns with a fresh catch, Balfour drapes his “Fresh Tuna” banner off the stern end of the Brandywine; this is the signal for loyal customers who flock to the pier. Balfour has a rolodex of 500+ customers who pre-order based upon the boat’s catch each trip; Balfour tries to curb demand by taking four to eight trips each year, with each trip lasting five to eight days. “You know there's a whole lot of people in this community that watch what I do, ask how to do it, ask me why I do it…[after] all these years. And I don't know if it's God's way that I'm supposed to be helping them, teaching them, or just doing the same thing I am doing…”. Balfour, is actively working on passing his legacy of knowledge of the high waters, to another captain, and is willing to offer the same to whomever would like to hear the highs and lows of the seas, as well as his life experiences over his career.