Alaska General Seafoods

Ketchikan, Alaska is located on the Southeast Alaskan island of Revillagigedo (Revilla for short). Surrounded by the extensive waterways of the Inland Passage and seemingly unending mountain ranges, Ketchikan is rightfully called Alaska's "First City".

Average annual rainfall in Ketchikan is a whopping 130 inches, and snowfall averages 32 inches annually (although it rarely stays around for longer than a day or two). Average summer temperatures range from 46 to 59 degrees Fahrenheit but can reach as high as 75 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit too. The average winter temperature range from 29 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit.

While the population of Ketchikan is officially 14,000 people, the summer time population may swell to as many as 20,000 people on any given day. Ketchikan is a popular summertime cruise ship destination and may receive as many as six large ships each day.

Traditionally the local economy has been fueled by the timber and fishing industries. But, as both of these time-honored traditions have decreased in significance, tourism has increased. The Ketchikan of today is a modern city with many amenities including a regional hospital, shopping mall, theater, bowling alley and many fine restaurants.

Alaska General Seafoods' Ketchikan facility is rich with history. With its roots in the turn-of -the-century halibut fishery, the Ketchikan plant has witnessed the evolution of an industry.

The Ketchikan site was first owned by the New England Fish Co. (NEFCO). NEFCO purchased the site in 1906 for the purpose of building a freezer operation, and to service their growing halibut fleet. With east coast fish stocks declining, NEFCO was increasingly looking to the Pacific coast for continued prosperity. The next 60 years saw the fishing industry change its focus from halibut to salmon, and it wasn't long before NEFCO had one of the largest salmon canneries in Alaska. In 1965 a fire ripped through the NEFCO site destroying most of the buildings. The only structures to escape the blaze were the freezer plant, the company store, and the superintendent's house. In 1980 NEFCO declared bankruptcy.

In 1990 Canadian Fishing Co. (Canfisco) leased the facility and began operating the freezer plant under the name of Kanaway Seafoods. In 1993 Canfisco purchased the facility and began construction of a 5 line cannery. A new bunkhouse and messhall were added that year too. The Ketchikan plant began operating under the name of Alaska General Processors in 1994. In 1999 the assets of Kanaway Seafoods, Nelbro Packing Co. and Alaska General Processors were combined to form Alaska General Seafoods.