April 23, 2013

Icicle Seafoods to cease operations in Adak, Alaska

 

Seafood company, Icicle Seafoods Inc will be shut operations in Adak, within Alaska's Aleutian Islands, due to concerns regarding the health of Pacific cod and increased regulatory uncertainty.

"Icicle has worked hard in the two years since we took it over to make the Adak plant a viable operation," said Amy Humphreys, Icicle's new president and CEO.

She noted that the company strongly supports policies that encourage the growth and sustainability of the state's coastal communities.

"However, given the questionable outlook for the Pacific cod fishery in the area and the high costs of operating in this remote location, we have decided to focus our resources in other areas within our Alaska operations," Humphreys stated.

In March 2013, Icicle Seafoods announced that it will close its plant in Adak this coming summer and review its business plans. The facility has failed to become profitable since the company took over management some years back. This may be partly due to the high cost of municipal electricity.

In recent years, Icicle Seafoods has invested heavily in other parts of Alaska, the latest being the purchase of a second shore-based seafood processing facility in Bristol Bay, Alaska.