Petersburg Ocean Beauty plant

Ocean Beauty Seafoods has put its Petersburg cannery and bunkhouse up for sale and is asking $3.39 million. The property covers 3.25 acres and includes a production area, machine shop and storage areas totaling 65,678 square feet including the bunkhouse. The bunkhouse alone is 13,196 square feet. There is also 2,400 linear feet of waterfront access. The company said it will continue to have an office and local staff in Petersburg to support fishing vessels. 

Fishermen shifting to Bristol Bay

More fishermen from Southeast and Southcentral Alaska are planning moves to the healthy southwest Alaska fisheries in Bristol Bay and around False Pass after a poor salmon year across much of coastal Alaska, fishing permit brokers are reporting. Bristol Bay permit prices are rising as a result, averaging $165,000, up from $145,000 before the 2018 season, which was another record-breaker for harvests. Prices for permit sales in False Pass, which also enjoyed a good season, were even higher over Bristol Bay.

The overall 2018 Alaska salmon catch was down 30 percent below projections to 114 million fish compared with 114 million estimated. Harvests were depressed across Southcentral and Southeastern, but Bristol Bay boomed. The ex-vessel value at Bristol Bay (what harvesters were paid) totals $280 million. This does not include post-season payments.