Ben Fisher

Reporting from Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.

Ben Fisher is a Seattle-based freelance writer. Previously, he worked as night and copy editor at the Jerusalem Post, Israel’s largest English language newspaper, and as digital editor of Jewish Quarterly. He is fluent English, French, Hebrew, and Arabic.


Author Archive

Published on
March 2, 2020

The winners of the Alaska Symphony of Seafood were announced on 24 February in Juneau at an event co-hosted by the United Fishermen of Alaska and the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation.

The Alaska Symphony of Seafood is a contest that takes place every year which judges new value-added products made from Alaskan seafood. The goal of the competition is to “increase the value of Alaska’s seafood by encouraging product development

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Published on
March 2, 2020

For five years, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.-based Imperfect Foods (formerly known as Imperfect Produce) has been selling consumers food that wasn’t quite attractive enough to be delivered to a grocery store.

According to the company, one in five fruits and vegetables “don’t meet the strict cosmetic standards of grocery stores, often causing them to go to waste.”

“These imperfections are small quirks in

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Published on
February 26, 2020

A four-page whitepaper released by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) brings to light the uneven relationship between the Alaskan and Russian seafood industries…

Photo courtesy of Rainer

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Published on
February 20, 2020
The coronavirus outbreak has severely disrupted seafood exports from fisheries on the U.S. West Coast to China. Washington state exports some USD 150 million (EUR 138.87 million) worth of seafood to China every year, according to the Washington Council on International Trade. American companies also send seafood to China for processing because labor is significantly cheaper. “Anytime you go and buy [a fish] filet from Alaska, there’s a good… Read More
Published on
February 14, 2020

Tim Horgan, Pacific Seafoods’ longtime chief operating officer, announced his retirement last month after more than 25 years with the Clackamas, Oregon, U.S.A.-based company. Horgan, whose family in Astoria, Oregon, owned Ocean Foods, also served as president of Ocean Beauty Seafoods prior to his time at Pacific.

In the 1990’s, when Pacific began its expansion, Horgan was in charge of processing, the division responsible for much of

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Published on
February 13, 2020

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven plans to introduce a wild Alaska pollock sandwich to select U.S. locations, according to a Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) press release.

The sandwich, a “herb-crusted wild Alaska pollock fillet with American cheese and tartar sauce on a buttery bun,” will be available until 20 April, and will cost USD 2.49 (EUR 2.29). On Fridays, the sandwich can be purchased for USD 2.00 (EUR 1.80) by using

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Published on
February 12, 2020

A group of conservation and environmental groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, 11 February, against the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, citing the department’s decision to allow Canada-based Cooke Aquaculture to farm steelhead trout at its former Atlantic salmon farm sites.

Last month, the Washington Department of Fish and wildlife approved a five-year permit for Cooke to farm steelhead in Puget Sound and the

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Published on
February 11, 2020

Investment group McKinley Capital Management has purchased the research and data analysis firm McDowell Group, according to a statement last month from McKinley.

McKinley is based in Anchorage, Alaska, with offices in Chicago, New York, and Abu Dhabi, while McDowell has offices in both Anchorage and Juneau. A price for the sale has not been made available. McKinley manages a global portfolio worth around USD 5 billion (EUR 4.5

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Published on
February 11, 2020

The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP) is seeking proposals for its first European Partnership Program, which are due on 15 March, according to a GAPP press release.

The European Partnership Program is an expansion of GAPP’s established North American Partnership Program. GAPP began soliciting proposals to drum up demand for Alaskan pollock in Europe after last year’s Groundfish Forum.

“This Partnership

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Published on
February 5, 2020

Pacific cod from the Gulf of Alaska may lose its Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainability certification in the coming months due to a decline in the stock, according to the organization.

“The Gulf of Alaska Pacific Cod fishery is currently undergoing an expedited audit against the MSC fisheries standard following new information from the National Marine Fishery Service showing that the Gulf of Alaska Pacific cod stock had declined

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