Tag Archives: Ocean Beauty
Local fishermen report mixed results in commercial season so far
Nearly a dozen commercial fishing boats queued for gas and ice at the fuel dock on a foggy Saturday morning. The low tide set the pace slow enough for fishermen to talk to one another about the season even though they were eager to get underway. Boats bobbed up and down with names like Easy Street, Rustler, High Surf, Crown Haines, and Minnie A. Then the sun made its way through the morning clouds and the salty breeze carried the sounds of ice and fuel rolling through large plastic hoses hanging from the dock. It’s the third week since the season opener and fishermen like Matt Davis reflected on how the winds have shifted. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:30
Pandemic, labor , product shortages, and supply chain issues disrupt Dungeness Crab market
Seafood distributors, sellers and processors point to a number of factors that converged to create a perfect storm: the coronavirus pandemic, labor shortages, product shortages, supply chain issues and market demands. All have contributed to drive prices up from the usual $25 or so per pound to as much as $52. This season was difficult for many in the industry. It opened late and yielded a mere 12 million pounds to date, compared to last year’s 20 million. On average, commercial crabbers land around 16 million pounds in Oregon, though the fishery can be cyclical, with boom and bust periods. >click to read< 19:13
Ocean Beauty accepts offer on seafood plant for sale in Petersburg
Ocean Beauty Seafoods says it has accepted an offer on the shuttered seafood processing plant on the Petersburg waterfront, but is not identifying the buyer. The former cannery and seafood plant has been on the market for over a year. Recently, the price was reduced on both that facility and a nearby bunkhouse for the plant workers. >click to read< 15:42
Ocean Beauty permanently closes Petersburg cannery
Ocean Beauty Seafoods will permanently close the company’s Petersburg cannery. Company president and CEO Mark Palmer said in an Aug. 2 letter to Petersburg borough that Ocean Beauty’s facilities at Excursion Inlet, Cordova and Kodiak provide it with adequate canning capacity to meet customer demand. The processor invested money in its Excursion Inlet plant, about 40 miles west of Juneau and will focus on more fresh and frozen processing. The letter also mentions a multi-year agreement with a floating processor vessel Ocean Fresh. >click to read<14:45
Date set for rockfish lawsuit hearing – To my Alaska Connection – ABOLISH CATCH SHARES NOW!
U.S. District Court judge Marsha Pechman has announced that a long-awaited hearing on the fate of the new Kodiak rockfish catch share plan will take place Nov. 19. Pechman, the chief judge in the district court for western Washington, will hear the case that pits Trident Seafoods, Ocean Beauty, Westward Seafoods and North Pacific Seafoods against the federal government. The processors contend that the rockfish program, which transitioned to full operation this year after a five-year pilot program, gives fishermen an unfair advantage in price negotiations. The key point of contention is a clause in the rockfish program that allows fishermen to freely shift among cooperatives that each deliver to a single processor. This allows fishermen to shift their deliveries to the processor offering the best price. Under the pilot program, fishermen were locked into a cooperative and could not shift.
Oh, go CRY ME A RIVER!!! Why is it the largest and most global fish corporations hate competition, want the ‘stability’ of restraints of trade, and hate to pay “the rational price” (natural prices) – while being given permanent access to public resources without paying a dime for them, just like the IFQ special interests in the Coops? We all know “why” … winners and losers, rich get richer … labor gets enslaved… (broken record, sing to choir, …yawn). I predict the judge will rule against the processors (and rightfully so) for their “un-American” filing. Next, we have to make sure Sen. Murkowski or some other crooked pol doesn’t slip new end-run language in an appropriations bill.
