A colorful 100-foot mural celebrating wild Alaska Pollock now adorns an entire side of a building on Seattle’s Pier 91, the global headquarters of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers and home to Glacier Fish Company, a harvester and processor of the succulent whitefish.
The mural, entitled “Heritage” by the artist Kyler Martz, utilizes the rich colors seen on cans of seafood from the Pacific Northwest’s seafood industry, hinting at the past, a link that supports the strong wild Alaska Pollock industry in place today, GAPP CEO Craig Morris explained.
The mural is a fitting tribute, Morris said, to the men and women who work in the wild Alaska Pollock fishery every day and who bring the versatile, nutritious and sustainable fish to global consumers.
Martz, a well-known artist from Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, spent months workshopping the mural, which will be seen by nearly one million cruise-goers every year as they depart for trips to see Alaska, according to Port of Seattle Maritime Operations Senior Manager Kelli Goodwin.
“I think this mural will stick with people as they pass it and will prompt them to learn more about the fish they more than likely have already had and love but maybe don’t know by name,” Morris said.
“With this mural we’ve definitely made our mark loud and proud on the Seattle skyline indefinitely,” she remarked. “Many Seattleites and visitors probably didn’t know that wild Alaska Pollock has such strong ties to Seattle. But now, everyone can join us in celebrating the name and what our fish both brings to the tables of consumers around the world and means to the local economy.”