Port Moller limbo

A recent court order calls into question the ownership of a remote Southwest Alaska seafood processing plant.

The Port Moller plant was among assets of failed processor Peter Pan. The plant was sold at auction in 2024 to Rodger May, who was Peter Pan's owner, and a Washington court approved the sale.

But on July 9, Alaska Superior Court Judge Laura Hartz ruled the Washington court lacked jurisdiction to dispose of property in Alaska without approval of the Alaska court.

The judge concluded that John Ketcham, who had loaned Peter Pan money, has a first priority lien against the Port Moller plant.

The plant currently is under lease to Silver Bay Seafoods, which is using it not to process fish but to provide support services for area fleets.

More Peter Pan news

Proceedings continue in the case of Peter Pan, the legacy seafood processor now in receivership.

The latest twist is an offer from Peter Pan's president, Rodger May, to acquire certain assets, including the Port Moller processing plant, for $15 million.

For more details about the proposal, plus some interesting remarks about Silver Bay Seafoods, see this 18-page motion filed in King County Superior Court.

An interesting note from the Peter Pan meltdown

This filing in the Peter Pan Seafood receivership reveals a "collaboration among competitors" involving the storage, labeling and distribution of canned salmon.