American Seafoods Company is one of the largest seafood companies in North America and one of the largest harvesters of fish in the world. Based in Seattle, Washington, ASC owns and operates six large catcher-processor vessels that harvest and process on board fish caught in the U.S. waters of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest. The company is well known for its products made from Alaska pollock, Pacific hake, Yellowfin sole, and Pacific cod. These products are sold throughout North & South America, Asia and Europe. American Seafoods Company is the largest harvester in the U.S. Bering Sea Alaska Pollock fishery with approximately 45% of the catcher-processor market share. American Seafoods Company is owned by American Seafoods Group Consolidated, LLC. Senior leaders of American Seafoods Group include, Mikel Durham, CEO; Kevin McMenimen, CFO; Margery Schelling, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Strategy & Innovation; Scott McNair, Executive Vice President of Product and Business Development. Inge Andreassen is President of American Seafoods Company, a subsidiary of American Seafoods Group.
1999 – Bernt Bodal, Centre Partners Management, and two other investors buy American Seafoods Company and form American Seafoods Group
2001 – American Seafoods Company opens and expands foreign sales offices
*American Seafoods acquires three freezer longliners in purchase of Pacific Longline Company
*ASC closes its cryoprotectant additive plant in Kent
2002 – American Seafoods Group acquires Southern Pride Catfish Company
2006 – Bernt Bodal leads management buyout of Centre Partners interest. Bernt Bodal becomes controlling equity owner
2008 – American Seafoods Group acquires catcher-processor Highland Light
*American Seafoods Group sells Southern Pride Catfish Company
2010 – American Seafoods buys out CDQ group Coastal Villages. As part of transaction, American Seafoods transfers ownership of Pacific Longline Company and catcher processor Northern Hawk to Coastal Villages. Bernt Bodal becomes majority equity holder of American Seafoods
2017 - American Seafoods Group names Mikel Durham CEO.
Social and Environmental Responsibility
All four species harvested by American Seafoods – Pacific whiting, Alaska Pollock, Yellowfin sole, and Pacific cod – are certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. The Alaska Pollock fishery is the highest scoring MSC certified, sustainable fishery on Earth. It's also the largest sustainable fishery in the world. Those fish harvested in Alaska are also certified as responsibly-managed by the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute's Responsible Fisheries Management program. In 1997 American Seafoods created a Community Advisory Board which provides financial support and assistance to Alaskan organizations. Since its founding, more than $1,250,000 has been given to organizations benefitting rural Alaskans. American Seafoods is a founding member of SeaShare, an organization dedicated to hunger relief in the United States. To date, American Seafoods has donated more than 15 million seafood meals to SeaShare. American Seafoods is also a contributing member of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative and is on the Advisory Board of the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center at the University of Alaska School of Fisheries and Oceans Sciences.
Products
American Seafoods catches Alaska Pollock in the Eastern Bering Sea. From this catch, American Seafoods produces whole fillet blocks, surimi made from whole fillets and also from flesh recovered during processing, roe, minced pollock blocks, fish oil, white fish meal, and other "sidestream" products such as stomachs, bone meal, fish skins, and milt. Pacific hake are caught and produced into Pin Bone Out, Deep Skinned, and Pin Bone In whole fillet blocks as well as surimi, headed and gutted fish, minced blocks, white fish meal, and fish oil. From its Yellowfin sole catches, American Seafoods produces frozen, whole, round fish and headed and gutted frozen blocks. Pacific Cod are processed into fillet blocks, minced blocks, and headed and gutted products.
