May 13, 2014 — It’s the start of the spring fishing season. Big factory ships are heading out to sea, and in coming weeks, 10,000 people from Washington state will head north to the Alaska fishing grounds.
Half of all the seafood caught in the U.S. comes from the Alaska fishery. Seattle is its base, and the biggest players are the companies that own catcher-processor ships. They include Trident Seafoods, Glacier Fish Company and American Seafoods Group. Crews have spent the last few weeks getting the ships ready.
At Interbay’s Pier 91 on Monday, the Northern Eagle, a ship owned by American Seafoods, prepared for its journey.
Northern Eagle planned to run down the Oregon Coast for hake cod, unload, and then start its trip north to Alaska for pollock. Alan Davis, safety and compliance director for American Seafoods, showed off the ship, already battered by the sea despite having been painted two years ago.
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