Article Category: Features

Pandemic, Changing Markets Pose Challenges for Bering Sea Fisheries

Pandemic, Changing Markets Pose Challenges for Bering Sea Fisheries

Harvesters who annually deliver millions of pounds of wild Alaska seafood from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands are facing new challenges these days: an ongoing global pandemic that has perhaps forever changed the way they operate, and the industry’s markets themselves. For a second consecutive season, groundfish and shellfish harvesters operating in these often stormy, icy waters are prioritizing their responsibility to keep their employees and the coastal communities they work in safe from the novel coronavirus, while continuing to operate in changing markets. “The greatest challenge for 2021 is to continue to stay operational across multitudes of fisheries and communities across Alaska, while protecting those communities and our workforce from COVID-19, so that we can continue to...
Fishermen’s News  2021 Deck Gear & More Survey

Fishermen’s News 2021 Deck Gear & More Survey

Kolstrand Expands Product Lines with Acquisition of Nordic/JK Fabrication It’s been nine months since Integrity Machining, Inc., maker of Kolstrand marine deck equipment, announced the acquisition of the assets of Seattle, Wash.-based J.K. Fabrication, Inc., maker of Nordic winches. Fishermen’s News called them recently to learn how the merger was succeeding during Washington state’s Covid restrictions. “The entire team from JK Fabrication came across and have stayed with us at Integrity Machining’s much larger facility in Marysville, Wash. This has significantly expanded Kolstrand’s already broad product line, to create a leader in the production and supply of all types of equipment for the entire fishing industry,” Integrity Machining President Paul Glyer explained. “This has create...