December 20, 2023 — Gerry Cobban Knagin and her family fished for Trident Seafoods on and off for decades. She said the company’s announcement last week that it will sell four Alaska processing plants, including Kodiak’s, was a huge shock for almost everyone on the island.
“Speaking with (Trident} management, there wasn’t any heads up for anyone,” she said. “And they decided, according to management, that they wanted full transparency so that the fleet would know, they don’t have any buyers yet, but they wanted to put it out that everything is for sale.”
The other Trident plants for sale are in False Pass, Petersburg, and Ketchikan. The company will also either sell or retire the historic Diamond NN Cannery in Naknek, as well as its support facilities in Chignik.
The archipelago’s Tanner crab season starts next month but Knagin said she’s dismayed that there seems to be little commitment for upcoming fishing seasons.