We are told that a final decision on feasibility of building a new processing plant in Unalaska will be made by mid‐October.
Trident already has secured a site on Captains Bay.
If Trident does build a new plant at Unalaska, we wonder what would become of the company's huge Akutan plant 35 miles to the east?
11 comments:
Akutan will stay open. They will still need the capacity and if a Trident boat is coming from the Unimak side it makes sense to go to Akutan.
Akutan is the place to be for Bering Sea pollock and cod and also boats fishing pollock on the western end of GOA area 610. Trawlers in the Bering Sea can save 5 hours each way or 10 hours per trip delivering into Akutan. So the pollock trawlers season is effectively shortened and so are the number of days the plant needs to operate. Cod trawlers get an advantage over cod trawlers delivering into Dutch Harbor. Less time on the fish means better quality as well.
Sometimes private family owned companies suffer and decline when being passed on to the second and third generation. Bad decisions are made. Trident may fall into that camp. Moving to Dutch harbor would be a huge mistake. Look at their history. Going from number one in Bristol Bay market share to number four……may as well throw in the towel. Massive investment in Kodak and False Pass for what? To keep out SBS? Apparently didn’t work out. Sometimes its best for the family to allow others to manage and enjoy the dividends and appreciation of their equity.
All efficiencies gained in Akutan with proximity to the fleet will more than be made up being in DH with proximity to shipping, air flights, electricity, water, outside contractors, etc. Simple math for the C-suite in Seattle, especially when lean and mean operations are now a priority.
Trident has most of the trawl fleet in Kodiak, seems like there investment worked out. The new plant wasn’t done to keep SBS out.
There are no more fishermen in corporate trident! They are making a lot of bad decisions.
How does the new math work out for Akutan village or AEB? How bout for all the 100 million tax dollars that went into a boat harbor and airport. And don’t be fooled to thinking they were built for Akutan village. AEB jumped in and backed those for Trident. Guess the borough was foolish not to get a thirty year commit from Trident to stay.
At least it’s tax money spent on infrastructure and not a war or a bank bailout.
Please note Trident is a business in the business of selling fish. Not supporting villages. Not supporting fishermen.
And so 4:55 PM that is Trident today. Less connnection to the fishermen and the communities. Maybe the C sweeties should move into the communities that host them and walk the docks to actually meet the fishermen that keep their plants running. That’s what’s missing the last few years.
Just about all Trident offices used to have big posters stating that they wouldn't be where they are now without the fishermen! I guess they must have taken those down.
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