PETERSBURG – Ocean Beauty Seafoods has announced that they’ll be closing their facility in Petersburg to focus on their Excursion Inlet facility.
"They have been removing equipment out of the building for a few years, the can lines, the ice machine, so it’s been coming." said Mayor Mark Jensen at the assembly meeting on Monday.
Ocean Beauty Seafoods made the decision to close the facility after reviewing their options, according to their release. Since the facility was primarily a cannery and had limited amount of fresh and frozen fish to process daily, their other facilities at Excursion Inlet, Cordova and Kodiak Island are more suitable to keep up with their customers’ demands, according to the release.
The Excursion Inlet facility has increased its daily fresh and frozen capacity over the past four years with the goal of handling most of the Southeast volume.
The Petersburg facility was used to produce salmon caviar, canned salmon and fresh and frozen chum, coho and sockeye salmon. During the operational season, June through September, Ocean Beauty Seafoods employed approximately 200 individuals. During the last two seasons, the plant has not operated.
An office and shop will remain open in Petersburg to assist the Ocean Beauty fleet with support, but they probably won’t be in the current facility, according to an Ocean Beauty source.
Ocean Beauty wants to sell the facility and the bunk house, according the Ocean Beauty source.
"The city of Petersburg has been very supportive of our operation for many years and we will miss having a large presence in this great community," said Ocean Beauty Seafoods president Mark Palmer in the release.
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