Blue North Fisheries has parted ways with CEO Kenny Down, according to Down’s LinkedIn profile.
Down left the Seattle, Washington-based company, which owns and operates five freezer longline vessels harvesting cod in the North Pacific, in August 2018, according to his profile.
“After more than [six] years with a large fisheries company operating in the North Pacific producing more than 12,000 metric tons per year of finished whitefish and fish products, I am taking a short break, working on smaller projects and seeking opportunities,” Down wrote on his personal page.
Under Down’s leadership, Blue North became a leading advocate for “humane harvesting” of fish. The company introduced its Humane Harvest Initiative at the 2014 Seafood Expo North America in Boston. In September 2016, the company launched the F/V Blue North, which incorporated technology and fishing techniques designed to minimize the pain and stress experienced by its catch.
Down joined Blue North in June 2012, after serving as executive director of the Freezer Longline Coalition from 2008 to 2012. Before that, he spent 17 years at the Alaska Frontier Company, including a stint as the firm’s general manager.
Blue North Vice President Pat Burns did not respond to a request for comment on the move.
Down is still listed as a member of the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council. In an email to SeafoodSource received on Friday, 31 August, Down confirmed he will continue on the council as an industry representative from Washington state.
"While the time came to move on from my position as president and CEO of Blue North, I remain immensely proud of all that we accomplished together during my more than six years in that position," Down wrote. "I have spent my entire career in the seafood and fishing industry and plan to remain active in the space."
Photo courtesy of Kenny Down/LinkedIn
