KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Jay Barrett/KMXT
Trident Seafoods announced Monday it had signed a letter of intent to purchase the Western Alaska Fisheries processing plant in Kodiak from Maruha-Nichiro-owned Westward Seafoods.
They expect to finalize the deal by Dec. 31, Trident said in release on Monday.
The Western processing plant handles pollock, cod, salmon and other species. It’s located on Shelikof Street, about a half mile from Trident’s Kodiak plant on Marine Way.
Trident CEO Joe Bundrant, son of the company’s founder Chuck, said he was excited to expand the company’s presence in Kodiak. Saying he was born in Kodiak, he has a vested interest in Trident’s “ongoing commitment to Alaska’s sustainable fisheries and the community.”
Western Alaska Fisheries originally merged with Westward Seafoods in 2001. It processes 45 million pounds of seafood per year, which is dwarfed by Westward’s main plant in Dutch Harbor, which handles 245-million pounds per year.
A purchase price was not mentioned in announcing the letter of intent to purchase. Both Joe and Chuck Bundrant are in Kodiak working out details of the deal.
