Joel Peterson has been appointed president of Bristol Wave Seafoods, a subsidiary of Bristol Bay Alaska Seafoods (BBAS), the holding company for the largest freezer-longline fleet in the United States.

Peterson started his new role on Jan. 11, working alongside David Little, who will serve as CEO.

Bristol Wave manages the sales and operations of BBAS’s nine-vessel fleet, which was formed in 2019 when Clipper Seafoods and Blue North Fisheries merged their operations and the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) acquired a majority interest in the combined company.

Peterson graduated with an MBA from the University of Washington Foster School of Business and has served on the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council Advisory Panel for nine years.

He fished on Clipper Seafoods' vessels for over 10 years and has been working in sales since 2015, with responsibility for quality and production planning as well as several key customer relationships.

Little, founder of Clipper Seafoods, has served as president of the operating companies since the 2019 merger and has been an integral part of the succession planning process.

“Joel is the ideal candidate to take over management of Bristol Wave,” said Little. “He is actually a legacy hire; Joel’s father was one of the original captains of Clipper Seafoods and a long-time Clipper director and shareholder,” added Little.