Alaskans Against Big Trawl has released a report finding that a handful of mostly out-of-state corporations control most of Alaska’s trawl fleet, and the profits from Alaska’s fish.
The report examines vessel ownership, corporate consolidation, fleet structure, processing capacity, and who ultimately benefits from access to Alaska’s public marine resources. It finds these companies use individual LLCs to own their vessels, obscuring consolidated ownership of huge portions of the fleet.
Among the report’s key findings:
- Corporate Dominance: Just 15 corporate groups control about 60% of all vessels (98 of 163) operating across Alaska’s major trawl catch-share fisheries.
- Monopoly Over Heavy Infrastructure: The top 15 control 100% of the federally permitted motherships and all but one of the 43 catcher/processor factory ships in those fisheries.
- The Outside 12: 12 of the 15 largest ownership groups are headquartered outside Alaska, primarily in Washington state. Washington-based companies control 100% of the Amendment 80 fleet and 65% of the AFA pollock fleet.
- Foreign Equity Influence: Several top Washington-based trawlers are parented by or structured as joint ventures with multinational Japanese seafood giants like Maruha Nichiro and Nippon Suisan.
Read the full report: Corporate Consolidation and Outside Control of Alaska’s Trawl Fleet
Beyond the Trawl Tales: The Real Costs of Industrial Trawling in Alaska
