American Seafoods

American Seafoods Company is one of the largest seafood companies in North America and one of the largest harvesters of fish in the world. Based in Seattle, Washington, ASC owns and operates six large catcher-processor vessels that harvest and process on board fish caught in the U.S. waters of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The company is well known for its products made from Alaska pollock, Pacific (whiting) hake, Yellowfin sole, and Pacific cod. These products are sold throughout North & South America, Asia and Europe. American Seafoods Company is the largest harvester in the U.S. Bering Sea Alaska Pollock fishery with approximately 45% of the catcher-processor market share.

American Seafoods Group LLC.
TypeLLC
IndustryFishery
Founded1988, 33 years ago
FounderKjell Inge Røkke
Headquarters2025 First Avenue, Suite 900
Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Key people
Mikel Durham (CEO)
ProductsSeafood
Websitewww.americanseafoods.com
Seattle
Location in the United States

American Seafoods Company is owned by American Seafoods Group Consolidated, LLC. Senior leaders of American Seafoods Group include, Mikel Durham, CEO; Kevin McMenimen, CFO; Margery Schelling, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Strategy & Innovation; Scott McNair, Executive Vice President of Product and Business Development. Inge Andreassen is President of American Seafoods Company, a subsidiary of American Seafoods Group.

History
  • 1988 – American Seafoods Company founded by Kjell Inge Røkke in Seattle
  • 1998 – Following the passage of the American Fisheries Act, American Seafoods and seven other companies form the Pollock Conservation Cooperative. American Seafoods Company received 16.572% of Directed Pollock Fishery. [Source: Joint Report of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative and High Seas Catcher's Cooperative: 2000]
  • 1999 – Bernt Bodal, Centre Partners Management, and two other investors buy American Seafoods Company and form American Seafoods Group[1]
  • 2001 – American Seafoods Company opens and expands foreign sales offices
    • American Seafoods acquires three freezer longliners in purchase of Pacific Longline Company
    • ASC closes its cryoprotectant additive plant in Kent
  • 2002 – American Seafoods Group acquires Southern Pride Catfish Company
  • 2006 – Bernt Bodal leads management buyout of Centre Partners interest. Bernt Bodal becomes controlling equity owner
  • 2008 – American Seafoods Group acquires catcher-processor Highland Light
    • American Seafoods Group sells Southern Pride Catfish Company
  • 2010 – American Seafoods buys out CDQ group Coastal Villages. As part of transaction, American Seafoods transfers ownership of Pacific Longline Company and catcher processor Northern Hawk to Coastal Villages. Bernt Bodal becomes majority equity holder of American Seafoods
  • 2013 – American Seafoods Group sells American Pride Seafoods to High Liner Foods, Inc.
  • 2017 - American Seafoods Group names Mikel Durham CEO.

Social and Environmental Responsibility

All four species harvested by American Seafoods – Pacific (hake) whiting, Alaska Pollock, Yellowfin sole, and Pacific cod – are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). The Alaska Pollock fishery is the highest scoring MSC certified, sustainable fishery on Earth. It's also the largest sustainable fishery in the world. Those fish harvested in Alaska are also certified as responsibly-managed by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's Responsible Fisheries Management program.[2] In 1997 American Seafoods created a Community Advisory Board which provides financial support and assistance to Alaskan organizations. Since its founding, more than $1,250,000 has been given to organizations benefitting rural Alaskans.[3] American Seafoods is a founding member of SeaShare, an organization dedicated to hunger relief in the United States. To date, American Seafoods has donated more than 15 million seafood meals to SeaShare.[4] American Seafoods is also a contributing member of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative (PCC) and is on the Advisory Board of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center at the University of Alaska School of Fisheries and Oceans Sciences .[5]

Products

American Seafoods catches Alaska Pollock in the Eastern Bering Sea. From this catch, American Seafoods produces whole fillet blocks, surimi made from whole fillets and also from flesh recovered during processing, roe, minced pollock blocks, fish oil, white fish meal, and other "sidestream" products such as stomachs, bone meal, fish skins, and milt.[6] Pacific (whiting) hake are caught and produced into Pin Bone Out (PBO), Deep Skinned (DS), and Pin Bone In (PBI) whole fillet blocks as well as surimi, headed and gutted fish, minced blocks, white fish meal, and fish oil.[5] From its Yellowfin sole catches, American Seafoods produces frozen, whole, round fish and headed and gutted frozen blocks.[7] Pacific Cod are processed into fillet blocks, minced blocks, and headed and gutted products.[8]

American Seafoods fleet
Name Length Tonnage Built to fishing vessel in Year Engines Power
American Dynasty 272 ft (83 m) 3471 Ulstein Hatlø, Norway 1989 2, Bergen Diesel, BRM-8 8,000 hp (5,970 kW)
American Triumph 285 ft (87 m) 4294 Langstein Verft, Norway 1990 2, Wärtsilä, 8R32D 8,200 hp (6,110 kW)
Northern Jaeger 336 ft (102 m) 3732 Schichau Seebeck, Germany 1990 2, MAKM453C I-8 7,400 hp (5,520 kW)
Northern Eagle 341 ft (104 m) 4437 Ulstein Hatlø Norway 1988 2, Bergen Diesel, BRM-8 7,200 hp (5,370 kW)
Ocean Rover 256 ft (78 m) 4345 Langstein Verft, Norway 1990 1, Wärtsilä V12-32 6,500 hp (4,850 kW)
Katie Ann 295 ft (90 m) 1593 Raudeberg Verft, Norway 1985 1, Bergen Diesel KVM-18 4,500 hp (3,360 kW)

References
  1. "Business - American Seafoods sold to U.S. group - Seattle Times Newspaper".
  2. "Sustainability Assurances - American Seafoods CompanyAmerican Seafoods Company". Archived from the original on 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  3. "Community Giving - American Seafoods CompanyAmerican Seafoods Company". Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  4. "How We Work - SeaShare".
  5. "Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center - University of Alaska Fairbanks".
  6. "Alaska Pollock - American Seafoods CompanyAmerican Seafoods Company". Archived from the original on 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  7. "Yellowfin Sole - American Seafoods CompanyAmerican Seafoods Company". Archived from the original on 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-16.
  8. "Pacific Cod - American Seafoods CompanyAmerican Seafoods Company". Archived from the original on 2015-04-17. Retrieved 2015-04-16.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.