Fishermen aspire to enter world of seafood processing

Harry Wassily Jr (left) and Steve Wassily at HACCP class. (Photo by Kayla Desroches / KMXT)

Kayla Desroches/KMXT

For some fishermen, moving into the processing world is one way to build their prospects.

But before that can happen, they need to get the required certification. A few seafood processors and would-be processors are doing that right now in the City of Kodiak.

They’re taking a two-day Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point or HACCP class, which covers possible seafood hazards. It’s one of a handful of classes Alaska Sea Grant holds annually around the state.

KMXT dropped by the five-person class yesterday and met a couple of Bristol Bay fishermen with high hopes.

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Harry Wassily Jr. is a salmon fisherman.

“Chinook, sockeye, coho, chum, and pink.”

And wants to expand his range to halibut.

“It’s been in our community for many of years now, and it’s just something new to me, and I just inherited my father’s boat and permit, so I’m the next line of fishermen that needs to figure out other doors to open for this industry.”

Wassily says he fishes out of Dillingham, Nushugak, and Egegik and usually sells his catch to Trident Seafoods, but he wants so strike out on his own.

“This is a big step for me as far as being a sole owner, I guess, a business owner, a fishermen.”

He says he imagines his company being land-based.

His uncle, Steve Wassily, is also a salmon fisherman. He says he’s looking into learning how to harvest halibut and Pacific Cod and says he’s open to the idea of establishing a processing plant or a floating processor.

“This is a big opportunity for us to step out and do something and make jobs, not only for us, but our family members.”

While many seafood processor employees attend HACCP classes, instructor Chris Sannito says it’s not unusual for ambitious fishermen to sign up.

“New people are constantly coming into the industry and, recently, there’s been a lot of interest [from] small boat fishermen that want to sell their own catch off their boats.”

He says he’s noticed that as a rising trend among his students across the state.

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