Circle's second barge
This past salmon season saw a notable twist in Bristol Bay with the entry of a new floating processor, the Hannah, from Bellingham-based Northline Seafoods.
The processor is the first in an emerging class of freezer barges whose developers say will revolutionize the fishing industry by improving efficiency, fish quality, and prices.
A second company, Circle Seafoods, based in Aberdeen, Washington, has been building its own freezer barge, and this week announced the purchase of a second barge for conversion as a fish processor.
This second barge is "even bigger and badder" than the first, measuring nearly 500 feet long, the company said. The barge currently is named Mineral Creek.
Circle is targeting the 2025 salmon season in Southeast Alaska for its barge debut. The company is inviting seiners to join its efforts.
Somebody needs to start finished processing in Alaska. The practice of freezing fish and shipping them to China is going to get the industry in trouble in the future.
ReplyDeleteLike oil, you can't process anything in Alaska. They tried, spent $80 million on it, and turned it into a church. You should move to Alaska someday and watch what's been going on since 1959. This is why the industry in trouble, and it's got nothing whatsoever to do with China. China would take the Juneau Legislature out and put bullets in the back of their heads. Mao died, but Egan still lives!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what you mean by saying "you can't process anything in Alaska." For 5 years I worked on catcher processors. We caught the fish, processed them, and froze them immediately. All of this was done on a big ship in the middle of the Bering Sea. So, I do not understand your comment.
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