Two years ago, fishermen in Alaska's Bristol Bay were in an uproar over salmon prices; they saw an extreme drop in their prices while sales at retailers surged during the pandemic.
Now the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) is proposing a solution to the problems of opaque pay from processors, rising costs and additional capacity needs in Bristol Bay.
A new Washington State-based company, Circle Seafoods, is proposing to partner with BBRSDA on a project that would entail the association funding, financing and owning a $15 million (€14 million) freezer barge and leasing it out to Circle under a long-term lease agreement that provide benefits for BBRSDA members.
