AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION

What AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION does

AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION (APA) is a Seattle-based trade association founded in 1985 that represents five member companies owning and operating 15 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels in the Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock fishery. The fishery accounts for more than one-third of all U.S. fishery landings annually and produces more than 3 billion seafood meals per year, supplying fillets, surimi, fish roe, fish meal, and fish oil to global seafood buyers under CSI and MSC chain-of-custody certification. APA itself does not produce or sell seafood directly; rather, it provides collective advocacy, sustainability certification management, labor standards certification, research coordination, and industry representation on behalf of its members, who retain ownership of the underlying commercial activity.

The association's core operational offering is the Pollock Conservation Cooperative (PCC), formed in 1999 by APA members to eliminate fleet over-capacity and the "race for fish" dynamic, enabling participants to produce 50% more fish products per pound than pre-PCC levels. APA also operates the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC) in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, into which member companies have donated over $17 million since 2000 to fund Bering Sea ecosystem and fisheries research. Member vessels process and freeze catch at sea within hours of harvest and retain approximately 99.5% of catch. The association maintains three active third-party certifications: CSI (since 2011, re-certified 2017 and 2023 under DNV), MSC, and the FISH Standard for Crew (since 2023, audited by MRAG Americas, certificate MRAG-FISH-0001-VR-091225).

APA's revenue model is two-tiered. Seafood product sales are conducted by member companies to global buyers under CSI/MSC certification. The association's own direct revenue derives from Associate Member dues structured in three tiers — $500/year (Tier A), $1,000/year (Tier B), and $2,000/year (Tier C) based on annual economic interaction with APA members — alongside member company dues that are not publicly disclosed. The association also runs an Associate Member Program with over 35 vendor members, hosts industry events (Spring/Fall breakfast meetings, Summer BBQ, Holiday Dinner, annual job fairs), and operates community programs including Community Catch (food bank donations in Anchorage and Seattle) and partnerships with the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward.

Name

AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION

Legal name

AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION

Website

https://atsea.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION is a Seattle-based trade association founded in 1985, representing five member companies that operate 15 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels in the Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock fishery, producing over 3 billion seafood meals annually under CSI and MSC sustainability certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Seafood Trade Association

NAICS

Other Marine Fishing (114119), Fishing (1141), Seafood Product Preparation and Packaging (31171)

SIC

Fishing, Hunting And Trapping (900), Prepared Fresh Or Frozen Fish & Seafoods (2092)

akta.pro primary industry

Seafood & Aquaculture Certification Services (MSC/ASC/BAP) (AFALAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Alaska pollock fishery
• At-sea processing
• Fishery sustainability
• Seafood trade association
• Catch quota vessels

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Seafood Product Sales: APA member companies harvest, process, and sell Alaska pollock products including fillets, surimi, fish roe, fish meal, and fish oil to seafood buyers globally. The Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock fishery accounts for more than one-third of all U.S. fishery landings each year, producing more than 3 billion seafood meals annually.
2. Associate Member Dues: APA generates revenue through annual associate member dues assessed at three tiers: Tier A ($500/year for business at $50,000/year or less), Tier B ($1,000/year for business at $50,000 to $500,000), and Tier C ($2,000/year for business in excess of $500,000). Dues may be prorated for members joining late in the year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

APA is a trade association representing five member companies that own and operate 15 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels in the Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock fishery. Member vessels harvest, process, package, and freeze Alaska pollock at sea, producing fillets, surimi, fish roe, fish meal, and fish oil that are sold to seafood buyers worldwide under third-party CSI and MSC sustainability certifications. The association also runs an Associate Member Program (annual dues tiers) that links members with vendors and service providers.

Product overview

AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION is a trade association representing five member companies that own and operate 15 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels in the Eastern Bering Sea Alaska pollock fishery. The organization does not offer a unified software product or platform. Instead, its portfolio consists of physical seafood products (fillets, surimi, fish roe, fish meal, fish oil) produced by member companies, sustainability programs including the Pollock Conservation Cooperative (PCC) for fleet efficiency and the FISH Standard for Crew for labor practices, community initiatives like the Community Catch Program for food donations, and research partnerships including the PCCRC with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Associate Member Program provides vendor membership with networking events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Alaska Pollock Products Sustainably harvested and at-sea processed Alaska pollock products, including fillets, surimi, and fish roe (primary flesh products), plus fish meal and fish oil produced from non-flesh parts of the catch. Sold to global seafood buyers and distributors under CSI and MSC third-party chain-of-custody certification.
• Associate Member Program Annual dues-based membership program for vendors, service providers, and organizations with an economic relationship to APA member companies, providing access to networking events (Alaska Pollock Breakfast Meetings, Summer Social Seafood BBQ, Holiday Dinner), the APA member directory, and industry relationship-building opportunities. Annual dues are tiered at $500 (Tier A), $1,000 (Tier B), and $2,000 (Tier C) based on annual economic interaction with APA members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% more fish products on a per-pound basis than the fleet produced in 1998
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MRAG AmericascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023APA contracted with MRAG Americas to conduct an initial pilot audit for all member vessels under the FISH Standard for Crew. Vessels were successfully certified beginning in 2023 with a two-year accreditation period. MRAG Americas serves as the independent third-party auditor for the FISH Standard for Crew certification.
• Fish Standard (FISH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023APA is the certificate holder and client for the FISH Standard for Crew certification covering all member vessels. The FISH Standard focuses on fair and ethical labor standards on board fishing vessels, supporting UN Sustainable Development Goal 8. APA vessels were certified against the FISH Standard for Crew beginning in 2023 with a two-year accreditation period, audited by MRAG Americas.
• Certified Seafood International (CSI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011APA is the fishery client for CSI certification of Alaska pollock. The fishery was first certified in 2011, with successful re-certification in 2017 and 2023. CSI is a third-party program (benchmarked by GSSI) certifying environmentally responsible management of wild-capture fisheries, auditing against FAO guidance. The current third-party fishery certification body is DNV. CSI maintains RFM Fisheries Standard 2.0 focused on six key evaluation principles.
• University of Alaska Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences (PCCRC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2000In 2000, APA members formed a partnership with the University of Alaska/Fairbanks School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences to create the Pollock Conservation Cooperative Research Center (PCCRC). APA member companies have donated over $17 million to the Research Center since its founding. The PCCRC Advisory Board meets semi-annually (August and January) to determine research priorities and funding opportunities. The center funds research on Bering Sea ecosystem, climate change, marine mammal studies, and fishing impacts on the marine environment. Graduate fellowships are also offered through a separate RFP process.
• Alaska Pacific University (FAST Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA member companies have supported students and faculty in the marine science department at Alaska Pacific University for more than a decade. The dedicated Fisheries, Aquatic Science and Technology Laboratory (FAST Lab) was developed to meet specific research and fisheries management needs in the North Pacific by leveraging partnerships among industry, academia, and governmental organizations. Graduate student opportunities are available through Drs. Brad Harris and Nathan Wolf.
• Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center (NACTEC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNACTEC is a joint-venture regional vocational training center in Nome designed to provide public high school students with resources and skills for employment, postsecondary education, and independent living through instruction in career/technical skills, career exploration, life skills, and work readiness. APA member companies contribute annually to promote future fisheries career tracks among high school students.
• Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPA member companies' Alaska pollock products carry MSC certification, a global third-party sustainability certification program for wild-caught seafood. The MSC blue fish tick indicates the fishery meets MSC's science-based standard for sustainable fishing.
• OSI and Kloosterboer (Dutch Harbor)minorOthersFish donated by APA member companies is sorted on individual vessels, then stored by OSI and Kloosterboer in Dutch Harbor before being transported to the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward for sea creature feeding and research.
• MatsonminorOthersMatson transports donated Alaska pollock from Dutch Harbor to the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward for sea creature feeding and research studies.
• SeaShareminorOthersSeaShare is listed as a partner on APA's Community Catch and giving back page, indicating collaboration on seafood donation programs to food banks.
• Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance (APFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPFA is listed as an APA partner on the main website, representing the Alaska Pollock Fishery Alliance as part of the industry's sustainability certification and advocacy ecosystem.
• Alaska Pollock Producers (APP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as an APA partner on the main website, representing Alaska Pollock producers as part of the industry's sustainability certification and advocacy ecosystem.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trident Seafoods Corporation: One of APA's five member companies and one of the largest U.S. seafood companies; offers a comparable vertically integrated pollock catcher/processor plus shoreside operation, providing direct competitive context for APA member businesses.
• Global Seafood Alliance (Best Aquaculture Practices / BAP): International seafood sustainability certification body; comparable to CSI/MSC in the role it plays for APA's buyers, and a potential overlap partner in the broader sustainable-seafood certification ecosystem.
• Coastal Villages Region Fund: One of APA's five member companies and a CDQ group operating Alaska pollock catcher/processor vessels; represents the intersection of community development quota ownership and at-sea processing economics within the same fishery APA represents.
• National Fisheries Institute: U.S. seafood industry trade association representing the broader wild-capture and aquaculture sectors; provides industry-wide sustainability policy and marketing perspective, comparable in advocacy role to APA but at greater scope.
• Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute: State-funded marketing body that promotes Alaska seafood globally, including pollock; operates an adjacent role to APA by driving demand for the certified product APA's members produce.
• Aleutian Pribilof Island Community Development Association: Alaska CDQ organization with investments in Bering Sea pollock and other fisheries; comparable institutional structure operating in the same regulatory and ecosystem context as APA's members.

Direct peers

• North Pacific Fisheries Association: Regional Alaska groundfish/seafood industry body that complements APA's at-sea catcher/processor focus with broader North Pacific fleet representation; highly comparable in mission and stakeholder engagement.
• Freezer Longline Coalition: Trade association representing Alaska freezer longline vessels targeting Pacific cod and other groundfish; operates with a similar sustainability-and-resource-management focus and member-driven advocacy model.
• Pacific Seafood Processors Association: Trade association that represents shore-based processors in the Pacific whiting and other West Coast groundfish fisheries, with sustainability advocacy and certification functions directly analogous to APA's role for Eastern Bering Sea pollock catcher/processors.

Others

• SeaShare: Nonprofit that distributes donated seafood to food banks; identified as an APA partner on the Community Catch program and operates a directly adjacent charitable seafood distribution function.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/15762262

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about AT-SEA PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION