Daily Sitka Sentinel

Cruise Ships Create Market for Sitka Fresh Fish

By SHANNON HAUGLAND

Sentinel Staff Writer

Before departing Sitka on a recent stop The Serenade of the Seas took more than passengers aboard – it took 2,000 pounds of fresh Sitka seafood.

It’s the latest development in a collaborative effort that started decades ago among seafood processors, cruise lines and their chefs, and the port organization Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska.

“We’ve had fish come off the (fishing) boats, into the processing room and onto the cruise ships within one and a half hours,” said Fred Reeder, Sitka port director for CLAA. “The ships are excited about the high quality.”

From left, Yuvraj Bahnawad, Sebastiao Fernandes and Senior Executive Sous Chef Arasu Raman from the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Serenade of the Seas unload seafood from the back of a truck, September 9 at the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal. (Sentinel Photo by James Poulson)

He said the ships used to purchase seafood from local processors, but the pandemic shut down that market in 2020 and halfway through 2021.

The ships started coming again last year, and to help restart the supply chain Reeder sent the cruise lines an email that generally asked, “If you need fish, we can provide that – fresh and frozen – in Sitka.”

Before the dock was built, deliveries of seafood were made to large cruise ships at anchor in the bay.

Reeder and processors said the Sitka Sound Cruise Terminal built in 2020 presented the lines the opportunity to buy more, and to purchase fresh seafood, since they can load quickly at the cruise dock during their port calls.

This season local processors will sell over 20 tons – $400,000 worth – of seafood to the cruise ships, said Reeder and local processors.

Seafood Producers Cooperative said it’s worked out well for the 380-member co-op, which is one of the Sitka processors selling directly to the cruise companies.

SPC president Norm Pillen said the discussion about supplying fresh fish to ships at the dock started through co-op sales representatives including Stephen Rhoads of Sitka and Dave Haworth in Bellingham.

“We provided samples, they really liked it, it’s worked out well,” Pillen said.

SPC has also been supplying halibut and salmon to Andrew Friske for his new restaurant at the dock, Halibut Point Crab & Chowder. Friske is an SPC member.

Pillen said seafood sales at the dock “has been good for both the cruise ships and SPC. We’re happy to have an opportunity to get our products out in front of people we normally wouldn’t,” Pillen said. He said the cruise lines are ordering 1,000 to 2,000 per order in halibut, king and coho salmon, lingcod, rockfish and blackcod.

The business model makes sense in several ways, he said, since it saves the cost of shipping, which benefits both seller and buyer.

“We’re saving costs on both ends,” Pillen said.

And besides that, he added, the product will arrive at its best, as close as possible to the processing facility.

“SPC really focuses on high-quality product – that’s what we do,” Pillen said. “Our only opportunity to provide better margins for our membership is to focus on the quality, which provides positive returns to the membership. Saving costs in shipping saves us a lot, helps us provide better returns to our members and gets our name out – who we are – in front of a lot more people.”

Reeder said he knows the record number of cruise visitors this year has been an adjustment for Sitka, and many people are not aware of the benefits to the community.

“There’s a segment of Sitka’s population that think they don’t get benefit from the cruise ships. But there are a lot of things – mom and pop businesses, the hospital, the fishing community – that derive income from cruise ships,” he said.

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute says it has been partnering with the cruise industry this summer to create educational opportunities for cruise passengers. 

Ashley Heimbigner, ASMI communications director, said the effort is to “build a better connection for visitors between the Alaska seafood they enjoy on board the ship and world class fisheries, fishing communities and fishermen here in Southeast Alaska.”

“In fostering these stronger connections with Alaska seafood, the goal is to create lifelong ambassadors who look for and recommend Alaska seafood, even when they return home,” she said.