Antonio Silva, 39, is in his 13th year of commercial fishing — long enough to gain experience but not so long that he has forgotten what it’s like as a young fisherman.

“I’m at the age now where I am becoming more interested in the policies and the happenings in town that affect my corner (commercial fishing),” he said of his decision to seek another term on the port commission.

He particularly wants to serve on the commission to represent younger fishermen.

“I just want to make sure fishermen are not forgotten.”

Silva was appointed to a vacant seat in February, to serve until the October election. He is running unopposed for the final full year of that term.

“I am starting to get a taste of the process and how it all works,” he said of his first months on the commission.

He’s also been busy getting his new boat, the Danegeld, ready for the start of the Southeast Dungeness crab fishery on Oct. 1. The 25-year-old boat, which he bought from Brennon Eagle, is a little wider and taller than his older boat, which he said will allow him to push a little harder into some waters.

In addition to crabbing, Silva goes gillnetting and power trolling for salmon, longlining for halibut, and pot fishes for shrimp.

He’s been working on the boat at the Marine Service Center. “I’m a huge advocate” for the facility.

“Wrangell’s got a great bunch of contractors,” attracting boat owners from across Southeast and even Seattle who need work on their vessels, he said. “Wrangell shines pretty brightly.”

And while he sees the fishing industry as important to the town’s economy, he also knows that tourism is a growth industry and wants to see the community continue working to build up that sector.

Timber, too, Silva said. “There are sustainable ways to do that,” he said of logging.

“I’d like Wrangell to keep a balance.”

He worries, however, about costs to consumers if the borough and barge lines strike a deal to move the freight facility out of downtown to the former mill site at 6-Mile.

“My big worry in moving it to 6-Mile is the added cost to everybody,” he said of running trucks 12 miles round trip to deliver freight to downtown businesses.

If costs go up for freight operators, “it will come back” to consumers.

Among the good news on the harbor horizon, he is looking forward to the total rebuild of the downtown harbor floats at the Inner Harbor, Reliance and Standard Oil. Wrangell received a $25 million federal grant for the work, which is still in the design stage.

“It’s going to be fantastic for the community.”