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Northline Seafoods Barge Heads for Bristol Bay

5Jun

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Northline Seafoods Barge Heads for Bristol Bay

Northline Seafoods’ new vertically integrated barge, equipped to buy, freeze, ship, store and distribute wild Alaska salmon, is expected to make its debut this summer in the Bristol Bay wild salmon fishery, with a capacity to hold more than 10 million pounds of fresh fish. The barge would be located at Clarks Point in the Nushagak district to buy fish from all Bristol Bay fishing districts. The Hannah’s departure on May 25 from Fairhaven Shipyard in Bellingham, Wash. marks the completion of a more than three-year project, including 15 months of construction. Seeing the Hannah depart for the Bristol Bay fishery “is a dream come true,” Northline Seafoods CEO Ben Blakey said in a May 28 statement, confirming the maiden voyage of the barge. Blakey said that the successful compl...

Trident Seafoods’ Kodiak Plant to Operate Through ‘B’ Season as Sale Negotiations Continue

5Jun

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Trident Seafoods’ Kodiak Plant to Operate Through ‘B’ Season as Sale Negotiations Continue

Trident Seafoods plans to keep its Kodiak processing facility operating through the groundfish “B” season, as negotiations continue with prospective buyers for that property and another facility at False Pass. Trident CEO Joe Bundrant said May 30 that the company is currently in the midst of sale negotiations for the Kodiak facility, a process covered by a non-disclosure agreement. “While we aren't able to disclose more details at this time, we’re confident about the plant's future and we’re looking forward to sharing more details as soon as possible,” he said. The Kodiak plant is the largest and most complex of Trident’s shoreside facilities, with year-round operations supporting multiple species. The details of the Kodiak plant’s operations makes the sale of that plant a len...

ASMI, Holland America Partner on Seafood Education

15May

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ASMI, Holland America Partner on Seafood Education

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) has formed a partnership with Holland America Line to educate the cruise line’s employees on the species, benefits and responsible fishing practices of the Alaska fishing industry. Through the partnership, which was announced May 7, ASMI is offering the cruise line’s dining and galley staff a short online digital course on Alaska seafood species, health benefits, fishing methods and the state’s overall sustainability practices. The “Seafood U” training for Holland America Line’s culinary teams began earlier this year in advance of the cruise line’s 2024 Alaska season. Some 2,500 shipboard team members working on six ships are to undergo the training, according to ASMI. “With this new step, Holland America Line has committed to not ...

1May

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Peter Pan Seafoods’ Financial Woes Mounting: Wells Fargo Seeks Receivership

The financial woes of Peter Pan Seafoods continue to grow. King County Superior Court in Washington state has granted a petition by Wells Fargo Bank to put the seafood processor into receivership, with Los Angeles-based Stapleton Group to manage Peter Pan’s financial affairs. The petition filed last week by Wells Fargo Managing Director Gary Harrigian asked the court to appoint Stapleton Group as controller of Peter Pan’s assets. In his petition, Harrigian said that appointing a receiver was necessary “to protect, preserve and maximize the value of the business and assets, including, without limitation, the collateral, and its revenue-producing potential to avoid further loss, injury and impairment.” Stapleton Group declined any initial comment on the receivership. According to ...

Seafood Economics Contributes $6B to Alaska’s Economy: ASMI Report

1May

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Seafood Economics Contributes $6B to Alaska’s Economy: ASMI Report

The seafood industry plays a critical role in the state’s economy, employing over 48,000 workers annually and contributing $6 billion to the state’s economy, according to a new report from the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute. “The economic benefits of the seafood industry are felt by all Alaskans,” said Jeremy Woodrow, executive director of ASMI, who released the 2024 update of “The Economic Value of Alaska’s Seafood Industry” report on April 24. Current global challenges notwithstanding, the variety and superior quality of products Alaska has to offer is unmatched, Woodrow said. “Research shows that consumers strongly prefer wild seafood to farmed, they want to add more sustainable seafood to their routines, and they place a high value on the health benefits of seafood,” h...

Owner, Captains of Crabbing Vessels Charged with Illegal Seafood Transport

24Apr

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Owner, Captains of Crabbing Vessels Charged with Illegal Seafood Transport

A federal grand jury in Anchorage has indicted the owner and captains of two crab catcher vessels on charges of illegally transporting crab from Alaska in violation of the Lacey Act, which bans trafficking in fish, wildlife, or plants that are illegally taken, possessed, transported or sold. Court documents released on Monday, April 22, cited Corey Potter as the owner of the two crab catching vessels and Justin Welch and Kyle Potter as captains of the vessels, in the alleged taking of crab through Canadian and Washington waters. Corey Potter was charged with two counts of unlawful transportation of fish or wildlife in violation of federal law. Justin Welch and Kyle Potter were both charged with one count of the same violation. Court documents did not identify the vessels or ho...

17Apr

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New CEO Joins Bumble Bee Seafoods

Seafood industry veteran Andrew Choe has joined Bumble Bee Seafoods as the San Diego-based company’s chief executive officer. His appointment, effective April 1, was announced by Bumble Bee Board of Directors Chair Jerry Chou. In his statement, Chou said that Choe “has priceless knowledge and expertise in our complex industry and is a people-focused leader with a history of helping talented teams succeed.” For eight years, Choe was CEO of StarKist Co., highly engaged in all aspects of the business, including supply chain management, manufacturing, customer and broker relations, innovation and brand building. Most recently Choe served as CEO for SENSEE World, a company that provides products to help the visually impaired. Choe holds degrees in psychology and economics from t...

17Apr

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U.S. Senator Sounds the Alarm on Alaska Fisheries

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, says his first priority in dealing with the economic woes facing the state’s seafood industry is sounding the alarm in Congress and the Alaska Legislature. Sullivan told participants at the state fisheries meeting ComFish Alaska on April 13 in Kodiak that he has told every member of the Legislature that this is a big deal, and that he’s also sounding the alarm with the federal government. “The executive branch of the federal government can do a lot more,” Sullivan said. “If this was a crisis impacting Wall Street or American farmers, they would have been all over this months ago.” Sullivan said that immediate action and long-term policy actions need to be considered for fisheries challenges all over the state. He also propped up his National Sea...

17Apr

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USDA Updates WIC Food Packages to Include More Seafood

Final changes to the new food packages for women, infants and children (WIC) approved by the Department of Agriculture include six ounces of canned fish to food packages for children ages 1-4 and allow canned light tuna, chub mackerel, salmon, sardines and Atlantic mackerel for children. The final changes announced April 9 also include the addition of 10 ounces of canned fish to food packages for pregnant and postpartum participants, and 15 ounces for partially breastfeeding participants. Amounts for fully breastfeeding participants has been adjusted from 30 to 20 ounces. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who has advocated for inclusion of Alaska salmon in WIC food packages since 2014, called the updated program great news for America’s mothers and children. Alaska’s wild salmon is ...

10Apr

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Silver Bay, Peter Pan Reach Agreement on Valdez Facilities

Silver Bay Seafoods has acquired Peter Pan Seafoods’ Valdez, Alaska, processing facilities and also plans to operate Peter Pan’s facilities in Port Moller and Dillingham for the 2024 salmon season, the two processors said in an April 4 joint announcement. Shifting operations of these facilities to Silver Bay Seafoods is a component of a larger restructuring effort, which is still being finalized, the two seafood giants said. The larger restricting plan would have Silver Bay acquiring Peter Pan’s’ processing facilities and support sites after the 2024 salmon season. Peter Pan would remain active in conducting the remaining activities needed to close out 2023 operations, including sales and accounting functions. The two companies said that they’re committed to a seamless tra...