Port Moller Harvesters Sign on to Deliver Sockeyes to Silver Bay Seafoods
Commercial fishermen on the North Alaska Peninsula have signed on to deliver to Silver Bay Seafoods, and spokesperson Bob Murphy says they’re optimistic about the future.
In an exclusive interview with Fishermen’s News on Aug. 12, Murphy said that they’re looking at Silver Bay as the future owner of the Port Moller seafood processing facility, but are still very concerned about an upcoming Peter Pan Seafood receivership hearing later this week, should another firm submit the winning bid on the plant.
Murphy said that Silver Bay stepped up quickly after Peter Pan Seafoods and Trident Seafoods announced closure plans, bringing in more tenders, travel lifts, mechanics and welders, plus a store with an abundance of groceries and boat supplies.
“It was a big help,” he said. Beyond that, the nearest sources of groceries and boat supplies were 100 miles away, he noted.
“Silver Bay has the whole fleet right now. They stepped up and saved us when Peter Pan and Trident stepped away,” said Murphy, who was a long-time fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game before he began commercial fishing with his son two years ago.
Murphy, a Kodiak resident, was one of 92 harvesters who signed an Aug. 7 letter saying it was great news to them that Rodger May of Peter Pan Seafoods had withdrawn his desire to get Peter Pan assets back.
They expressed hope that Silver Bay would be the new owner of the Port Moller plant and that the plant would be operational for the 2025 season.
Murphy acknowledged that it is tough times in the fishing industry for harvesters and processing companies, but noted that those fishing this August are getting $1.15 a pound for sockeye salmon that are bled and chilled, compared to 70-80 cents a pound a year ago.
The red salmon themselves are a little smaller overall, about four and a half to five pounds, compared to an average of five to six pounds each last year, he said.
“They are not as big and robust as they normally are,” Murphy said. “There will not be as many big fillets on the market this year.”
