A new company led by Copper River Seafoods and Siu Alaska Corp. on Monday purchased the former Harbor Crown seafood processing plant in Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
Dutch Harbor Acquisitions LLC will operate the facility under the name Bering Star Fisheries LLC and process cod, halibut, sablefish and crab. Expected to be up and running by year’s end, the plant will be the only 100 percent Alaskan owned and operated plant in Dutch Harbor.
“We are excited about the opportunity,” said Scott Blake, president of Copper River Seafoods. “This allows our group total access to Alaska’s vast resources.”
Copper River Seafoods is participating in Dutch Harbor Acquisitions through Western Alaska Ventures LLC, a partnership between Copper River Seafoods in Anchorage, Alaska; Stuart and Benett Kozloff of International Seafood Ventures LLC in Seattle; and James Gonzalez of Pacific Harvest Seafood in Bellevue, Wash. Copper River Seafoods processes primarily salmon, halibut and cod, with plants in Alaska’s Southeast, Central, Togiak and Bristol Bay regions.
Siu Alaska is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Norton Sound Economic Development Corp. (NSEDC), a private, non-profit Community Development Quota corporation representing 15 Norton Sound communities. NSEDC owns quotas for red and golden king crab, snow crab, halibut and sablefish, and NSEDC and Siu hold ownership interests in a number of Bering Sea vessels, including pollock at-sea catcher processors, a cod freezer-longliner and crab boats.
“The joining of these entities gives us a unique perspective and delivery mechanism through the supply chain and gives us a solid foothold for future expansion in the largest seafood landing port in the world,” said Siu Alaska President John Eckels. “It will also provide job opportunities and further economic stability to our member communities in the region.”
All Supply & Trade stories >