News

By Peter March – Fishermen’s News, March 1, 2019 

Long before it made the headlines (see Jones Act Waiver below) in 2017, the 260-foot trawler/processor F/V America’s Finest for Fishermen’s Finest was already attracting plenty of attention from the bering sea fishing industry as the first factory trawler built in the Northwest specifically for the Amendment 80 fishery since the Starbound in 1989. Both boats were built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, but the newcomer had the benefit of 25 years of technological progress.

WJHG/WECP, 4/19/18

The Eastern Shipbuilding Group launched their latest vessel Thursday afternoon.  The North Star is a freezer stern trawling vessel built for Iquique U.S.  The ship is 261 feet and six inches long and was launched from the Nelson Shipyard after being christened.

By Kayla Desroches – KMXT 100.1FM Kodiak, Alaska, 3/21/18

A researcher is developing a device that could help make monitoring halibut bycatch more efficient.  Craig Rose from FishNext Research is in town for Kodiak’s fisheries trade show, ComFish, and will talk about the ongoing project: a chute camera and its accompanying software.

By Brian Gauvin – Professional Mariner, 10/31/17

Eastern’s new factory trawler a standout in Alaska.  In March, aboard the new factory trawler Araho, all was a bustle. The vessel, moored at Pier 91 in Seattle, was fresh from making the Panama Canal from Eastern Shipbuilding in Panama City, Fla. Vendors were testing equipment, inspectors were inspecting, and the ship’s officers and crew were tweaking the electronics and machinery while loading trawl gear and provisions for the trip north to the unforgiving fishing grounds of Alaska.

By David J. Pratt – Fishermen’s News, 8/1/17

Humans by our very nature fear what is new. For better and sometimes worse, a fear of “new” can slow critical progress, especially where sticking with “tried and tested” becomes a safely known position. Therefore, driving progress requires individuals willing to bravely explore their mysterious world. 

By Bruce Buls – National Fisherman, 5/17

Araho Arrives – the new Bering Sea factory trawler transits the Panama Canal between a Gulf Coast launch and a Seattle debut for a Maine company.

Fishermen’s News, 3/1/17

In late January, Florida-based Eastern Shipbuilding Group delivered the DNV-classed factory processor fishing trawler F/T Araho (Hull 175) to the O’Hara Corporation of Rockland, Maine. The new vessel, to fish in the waters of Alaska and the North Pacific, is the first US flag freezer processor factory trawler constructed in more than 25 years.

By Mark Edward Nero – Pacific Maritime Online Magazine, 7/29/16

Forty-six crewmembers aboard fishing vessel Alaska Juris, who abandoned a sinking ship near Kiska Island, about 690 miles west of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, were rescued July 26 by air crews with Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak, along with good Samaritans.

By DJ Summers – Alaska Journal of Commerce, 6/15/16

Editor’s note: this story has been updated with exact numbers provided by Kurt Iverson.

KODIAK — A fishing tax rate glitch has new data that will increase state revenue in 2016, but the fix still needs work.  “I don’t think this issue’s going to go away,” said Kurt Iverson, a research analyst for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

By Hal Bernton – Seattle Times, 6/2/16

Seafreeze America’s $30 million conversion is the latest investment in the local fleet of catcher processors that work off Alaska.  Seattle’s fishing industry on Thursday feted the latest addition to the fleet, a 233-foot former Navy oceanographic vessel overhauled at a cost of more than $30 million for a new line of work — catching and processing fish off Alaska.

By Laine Welsh – Seafoodnews.com [Fish Radio], 6/1/16

Have you ever wondered where all that fish crossing Alaska’s docks ends up around the world?

By Melissa Crowe – Seafoodnews.com [Puget Sound Business Journal], 4/1/15

In 2014, Helena Park put a deposit on an $80 million factory trawler.  The move for the owner and CEO of Kirkland-based Fishermen’s Finest was a bold one.

NOAA Fisheries, May 31, 2018 

Government scientists, academia, and fishermen are working together to develop innovative monitoring tools to identify and measure fish from digital images. This technology could revolutionize the way fisheries data are collected.

By Shannon Carroll & Susie Zagorski – Fishermen’s News, 4/1/18

For more than forty years, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) has utilized a precautionary science-based approach to fisheries management. This approach has led to some of the most sustainably managed fisheries in the world. A key component to this success has been the use of exempted fishing permits (EFPs), which have incentivized innovation, improved sustainability, and developed lasting partnerships between industry and managers.

By Mike Hillers – Fishermen’s News, 12/1/17

“Technology is neither good nor bad; neither is it neutral.” Melvin Kranzberg’s First Law of Technology.

By Jean Paul Vellotti – National Fisherman, 8/10/17

Bering Sea trawler Araho installs 14 electric winches — but will it set a trend?

Saving Seafood, 7/17

Fishing fleets around the world rely on nets towed along the bottom to capture fish. Roughly one-fifth of the fish eaten globally are caught by this method, known as bottom trawling, which has been criticized for its effects on the marine environment

By Daniel Mintz – Pacific Fishing – Welcome Aboard, 4/17

Vessel of the century: The O’Hara Corp.’s 100-plus-year history has reached many milestones, including the latest – the construction of a technologically sophisticated 194-foot-long factory trawler that will work the Bering Sea’s flatfish fishery.  The Rockland, Maine-based company’s progression from its start in the early 1900s – when wooden schooners were the norm – is at a peak with the F/T Araho.  

By Peggy Parker – Seafoodnews.com, 8/1/16

The search for the F/V Juris has been called off. It is presumed to have sunk in 5,400 feet of water not far from where it was last seen.  “We have searched and have not been able to locate the fishing vessel Alaska Juris,” said Lt. Todd Bagetis, federal on-scene coordinator.

By Molly Dischner – Seafoodnews.com [Bristol Bay Times], 7/26/16

Salmon and halibut may get most of the fishing attention in Bristol Bay, but that’s not the only species caught commercially here.  In a lesser-discussed endeavor, Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation and other fishing companies harvest yellowfin sole each year in the Bering Sea — including in part of Bristol Bay.

By Ola Wietecha – Undercurrent News, 6/10/16

As part a general industry move toward maximizing catch usage in response to regulations encouraging higher fish retention on vessels, Seattle-based United States Seafoods recently christened its newest vessel which will replace two smaller ships.

By Peter Marsh – FishermensNews.com, 6/1/16

The F/V Ocean Peace, a 219-foot factory trawler owned by Ocean Peace Inc., was lifted out at Lake Union Dry Dock in Seattle in December for the installation of a Deflector high-lift rudder, replacement of the controllable-pitch propeller blades, and a re-positioned transducer chest. Numerous upgrades were also completed in the engine room, on the processing deck, and in the galley.

By DJ Summers – Seafoodnews.com [Alaska Journal of Commerce], 5/27/16

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released its annual report detailing national and regional economic impacts of U.S. fisheries and, as usual, Alaska produced both the greatest value and volume of any area.