King Cove's plight

With the collapse last year of Peter Pan Seafood, the remote Alaska Peninsula community of King Cove now faces another salmon season without its mainstay processing plant.

The town is meeting the "nightmare" situation with a blend of anger, determination and hope, King Cove Mayor Warren Wilson writes here.

A buyer for Peter Pan's King Cove plant?

Oregon-based processing giant Pacific Seafood is showing interest in acquiring Peter Pan's idled King Cove processing plant.

That's according to this KUCB report.

Five things to watch

As we enter the new year, we're looking for big news on multiple fronts. Here's a handful of items worth tracking.

• The National Marine Fisheries Service has a Jan. 11 deadline for completing a status review of Gulf of Alaska Chinook salmon. NMFS began the review after the Wild Fish Conservancy petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

• The halibut stock is struggling, and we'll get a new read on the situation when the International Pacific Halibut Commission convenes its annual meeting Jan. 27-31 in Vancouver, B.C. "Harvest limits in Alaska will all likely be reduced in 2025," the Fishing Vessel Owners' Association reports in its most recent newsletter. Bob Alverson is association's manager and an IPHC commissioner.

• What will become of the huge King Cove processing plant? The facility was idled with the financial collapse of Peter Pan. Last we heard, a working group was considering the plant's future.

• The legislative task force evaluating the Alaska seafood industry's economic troubles has been meeting since summer. Will anything substantive come of this effort? The Alaska Legislature begins a new session on Jan. 21.

• Inauguration day for Donald Trump is Jan. 20, and a new president is always consequential for the fishing industry. We're eager to see who the administration names to lead NMFS. And Trump's vow to impose sweeping tariffs could have a major impact on the seafood business.

The Peter Pan fire sale

Rodger May, half owner of the collapsed processor Peter Pan Seafood, has won an auction for an assortment of the company's remaining assets, edging out a competing bid from Silver Bay Seafoods.

A notice filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, where Peter Pan is being liquidated through receivership proceedings, indicates May bid $37,324,000 to Silver Bay's $37,067,320.

Results of the bid are subject to court approval.

May's bid consists of a $25,324,000 cash component and a $12 million credit bid, court papers show.

Here's a table designating the purchase price for individual assets.

Some of the prices seem shockingly low for properties once regarded as crown jewels in Alaska's seafood industry. For example, the price for the huge King Cove processing plant is $200,000 cash ($1 for the real property and fixtures, and $199,999 for the equipment and machinery).

The Dillingham processing plant has a purchase price of $11 million, but only $3 million of that in cash.

The most expensive sale item appears to be equipment and machinery in the Port Moller processing plant, priced at $8.75 million cash. This makes sense, as the Port Moller plant was rebuilt in 2018 following a fire.

Will these Peter Pan assets function again as they once did? That remains to be seen.

Another problem for Peter Pan

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is suing Peter Pan Seafood Co. to resolve violations of the Clean Water Act at processing plants in Valdez and King Cove.

Under a proposed consent decree, Peter Pan and another company, PSF Inc., would pay a civil penalty of $750,000.

The decree lays out requirements to monitor and manage seafood processing waste discharges.

The EPA lawsuit also names Silver Bay Seafoods as a defendant, due to Silver Bay's recent purchase of Peter Pan's Valdez plant.

Another Peter Pan fire

A reader advised Deckboss of a fire at Peter Pan Seafood's King Cove plant.

"No flame could be seen from afar but lots of smoke," he said.

We checked with Peter Pan, which provided this response:

"You heard correctly, there was a minor fire early this morning in the crab plant at King Cove. No injuries. Fire is out. Minimal damage. No reported cause as of yet."

This is the second fire for Peter Pan this year. On Feb. 7, company buildings at Sand Point burned.

Peter Pan temporarily idles its King Cove plant

Bellevue, Washington-based processor Peter Pan Seafood today issued this statement regarding its operational status for this year in Alaska:

We are saddened to inform our fishermen and the King Cove community that Peter Pan Seafood will not be able to operate our King Cove facility for the 2024 A Season. This is an unfortunate but temporary step. We will be open for the 2024 B Season, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to Alaska, our fleet, and the communities where we do business.

We did not come to this decision quickly or easily. The current state of the seafood industry is tumultuous, and it has impacted many operators in the region. The industry is facing inflation, interest rates hikes, financing challenges, and high fuel costs. We have worked through these issues as diligently as possible and have explored possible options. This temporary step, while difficult, is necessary to maintain our long-term commitment to the future of our business in Alaska.

We remain committed to continuing to provide the best service and support possible to our fleet, communities, and stakeholders while continuing our mission to be an exemplary global supplier of top-quality and responsibly sourced seafood. Looking to the future, we will employ more than 1,000 this year as we open the King Cove facility for the 2024 B Season and our other three facilities as normal for the salmon season.

We are steadfast in our future commitment to Alaska, our fleet, and the communities we do business in. We are grateful for the strong relationship we have with King Cove and we remain committed to doing everything in our power to support the community and fishermen during this time.

Crewman goes overboard, dies near King Cove

A crewman fell off the commercial fishing vessel Matt Michelle and died near King Cove, the Alaska State Troopers report.

Troopers said the U.S. Coast Guard notified them of the mishap shortly after 10 a.m. Sunday.

Here are further details from a press release:

Preliminary investigation revealed the vessel was occupied by two persons, the skipper and one crewmember. As the anchor was being retrieved a large swell hit the side of the vessel causing the victim to be thrown into the water. The skipper, identified as Raymond Leslie Koso Jr., 48, of King Cove, radioed a distress call as he attempted to rescue the victim from the sea. Koso deployed a life ring and other means but was unsuccessful as the current carried the victim farther from the vessel. Koso eventually managed to reach the victim with a long line and was able to tow him closer to shore. After donning a survival suit, Koso entered the water and pulled the victim ashore. Eventually, Koso was joined onshore by crewmembers of the fishing vessel Miss Roxanne, who responded to the distress call. Efforts to resuscitate the victim were unsuccessful. The body of the victim, identified as Rudy Paul Dushkin Jr., 53, of King Cove, was returned to King Cove aboard the Matt Michelle and efforts are under way for the body to be sent to the state medical examiner's office in Anchorage for further investigation. No personal floatation devices were worn at the time of the incident.

Peter Pan says, yo, it ain't about us!

Peter Pan Seafoods, which operates a huge processing plant in remote King Cove, has come out with a statement on the proposed road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge.

Supporters including Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski say the road is vitally needed for public safety. It would connect King Cove to Cold Bay, which has a better airport for medevacs.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, however, has denied construction of the road.

Peter Pan's statement responds to criticism such as this from Bruce Babbitt, who argues the road would be an exorbitant gift to the company.

But the road isn't about Peter Pan, writes Dale Schwarzmiller, vice president for Alaska production.

By law, he says, the road would be for "noncommercial purposes."

Man needs medevac after mishap with crab pot

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter conducted a medevac this morning for a man who was "suffering from numerous injuries after a crab pot fell on him."

The injury occurred aboard the F/V Miss Courtney Kim near Sanak Island, the Coast Guard said.

The patient, who wasn't identified, was picked up at King Cove and carried to Cold Bay. From there, he was transferred to Anchorage.

Authorities investigate King Cove skipper's death

From the Alaska State Troopers:

Location: King Cove
Type: Death investigation
At approximately 0600 hours on 5/3/13, the King Cove Police Department notified Alaska State Troopers of a person missing from a fishing vessel. A crewmember of the F/V Taurus reported waking up at approximately 0550 hours and finding the skipper, Marvin H. Love Jr., 46, of King Cove, missing. The U.S. Coast Guard was contacted and started a response. At approximately 1154 hours, the crew of a Good Samaritan vessel, the Amanda Dawn, reported locating Love's body in the water approximately a mile from where the Taurus was moored near Belkofski. The King Cove Police Department assisted due to response distance and contacted the state medical examiner's office. Next of kin has been notified. The investigation is ongoing.

King Cove boat laden with cod remains aground

The fishing vessel Capt'n Andrew remained aground near King Cove as of this morning, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. A salvage company, Magone Marine, is working to recover the 58-foot vessel. Responders are trying to remove fuel from the boat, which also has up to 120,000 pounds of Pacific cod in its holds, owner Corey Wilson of King Cove told authorities. No word yet on why the boat ran aground about 6 a.m. Sunday. USCG photo

On the rocks

A Deckboss reader kindly sent this photo of the fishing vessel Capt'n Andrew, which ran ground Sunday morning on Bold Cape southeast of King Cove. With the help of good Samaritan boats, the five-member crew made it off the Capt'n Andrew safely. The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating the casualty.

Crew saved after vessel goes aground at King Cove

The U.S. Coast Guard issued this press release about 9:20 a.m.

March 6, 2011

Good Samaritans rescue five off vessel aground near King Cove

A good Samaritan crew on the vessel Just In Case rescued five fishermen after the 58-foot Capt'n Andrew ran aground this morning on Bold Cape four miles southeast of King Cove.

The fishing vessels Golden Dawn and Just In Case responded while the Coast Guard put out an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast requesting local vessels that could safely assist the crew of the Capt'n Andrew, which was aground.

A crewmember of the Just In Case deployed a skiff and took the five-person crew off the partially submerged vessel and transferred them to the Just In Case while the Golden Dawn crew relayed information to the Coast Guard.

Two Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters forward deployed in St. Paul were launched but were not needed.

"In Alaska, good Samaritans often play an essential role in remote rescues, when vast distances can delay a Coast Guard response," said Jennifer Whitcomb, search and rescue controller at the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Juneau.

The Just In Case safely transported all five crewmembers to King Cove with no reported injuries.

The Capt'n Andrew reportedly is carrying approximately 2,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

Coast Guard Sector Anchorage is investigating.

Weather on scene was reportedly 10-knot winds and less than a mile of visibility.