1 THE TOP 25 North American Seafood Suppliers, Volume 2 Introduction The list of the Top 25 North American Seafood Suppliers of 2015 was recently published on August 17, 2016 by SeafoodSource editors. The list is, perennially, the most-read story on SeafoodSource.com. In this downloadable resource, you will find descriptions of each company ranked in this year’s Top 25 North American Seafood Suppliers list. Ultimately, while not exhaustive, SeafoodSource editors believe the list is still insightful and useful for anyone in the seafood industry. Containing suppliers, wholesalers and distributors – companies with vastly different business models – the list reveals the diversity and vibrancy of the seafood industry in North America. # 25) Taylor Shellfish Last year’s ranking: – 2015 total sales: USD 125 million 2014 total sales: – Headquarters: Shelton, Washington, USA About the company: Taylor Shellfish Farms is one of the largest clam, oyster and geoduck producers in the United States. In addition to its wholesale business, the company farms 10,000 acres under ownership or lease in Western Washington and British Columbia, including sites in South Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Samish Bay, Port Angeles, Vancouver Island and Desolation Sound. It also runs a nursery and hatchery for mollusks and bivalves, and owns five shellfish bars in the Seattle area. It purchased the Fanny Bay Oysters’ name, processing plant and retail story in British Columbia, Canada in 2007. # 24) Orca Bay Seafoods Last year’s ranking: – 2015 total sales: USD 152 million 2014 total sales: USD 145 million Headquarters: Renton, Washington, USA About the company: Orca Bay Seafoods, owned by Japan’s Tokusui Corporation since 1990, processes both domestic and imported seafood products distributing them to retailers, club stores, broadliners and restaurant chains under Orca Bay, Passport and assorted private label brands. It maintains a focus on sales of high-quality frozen seafood products throughout North America, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company’s current headquarters in Renton, Washington has been updated with the latest technology to maximize efficiency and food safety oversight.
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THE TOP 25 North American Seafood Suppliers, Volume 2
IntroductionThe list of the Top 25 North American Seafood Suppliers of 2015 was recently published on August 17, 2016 by SeafoodSource editors. The list is,
perennially, the most-read story on SeafoodSource.com.
In this downloadable resource, you will find descriptions of each company ranked in this year’s Top 25 North American Seafood Suppliers list.
Ultimately, while not exhaustive, SeafoodSource editors believe the list is still insightful and useful for anyone in the seafood industry. Containing
suppliers, wholesalers and distributors – companies with vastly different business models – the list reveals the diversity and vibrancy of the seafood
industry in North America.
#25) Taylor Shellfish
Last year’s ranking: –
2015 total sales: USD 125 million
2014 total sales: –
Headquarters: Shelton, Washington, USA
About the company: Taylor Shellfish Farms is one of the largest clam, oyster and geoduck producers in the United States. In addition to its
wholesale business, the company farms 10,000 acres under ownership or lease in Western Washington and British Columbia, including sites in
South Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Samish Bay, Port Angeles, Vancouver Island and Desolation Sound. It also runs a nursery and hatchery for mollusks
and bivalves, and owns five shellfish bars in the Seattle area. It purchased the Fanny Bay Oysters’ name, processing plant and retail story in British
Columbia, Canada in 2007.
#24) Orca Bay Seafoods
Last year’s ranking: –
2015 total sales: USD 152 million
2014 total sales: USD 145 million
Headquarters: Renton, Washington, USA
About the company: Orca Bay Seafoods, owned by Japan’s Tokusui Corporation since 1990, processes both domestic and imported seafood products
distributing them to retailers, club stores, broadliners and restaurant chains under Orca Bay, Passport and assorted private label brands. It maintains a
focus on sales of high-quality frozen seafood products throughout North America, including the United States, Canada and Mexico. The company’s
current headquarters in Renton, Washington has been updated with the latest technology to maximize efficiency and food safety oversight.
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THE TOP 25: NORTH AMERICAN SEAFOOD SUPPLIERS, VOLUME 2
#23) Fortune Fish & Gourmet
Last year’s ranking: –
2015 total sales: USD 155 million
2014 total sales: –
About the company: Founded in June of 2001 by current president and CEO Sean O’Scannlain, Fortune Fish & Gourmet has grown to become one of
the largest fresh and frozen seafood processors and specialty food distributors in the Midwestern United States, providing seafood to fine restaurants,
hotels, country clubs and grocers in nine U.S. states. Fortune now handles more than 8,000 different products, including a gourmet foods division.
#22) Fisher King Seafoods
Last year’s ranking: –
2015 total sales: USD 175 million (CAD 230 million)
2014 total sales: USD 131 million (CAD 160 million)
Headquarters: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
About the company: Fisher King Seafoods fishes for snow crab, lobster, scallops, cold-water shrimp, ocean perch and turbot off of the east coast
of Canada. The company has a strong presence in the North American foodservice and retail sectors, and is growing its customer base in Europe
and Asia. In 2009, Nichirei Fresh Inc., a subsidiary of frozen seafood conglomerate Nichirei Corp., bought a 25 percent stake in the company and it
remains an equity partner.
#21) SeaPak Shrimp & Seafood Co.
Last year’s ranking: 25
2015 total sales: USD 190-200 million
2014 total sales: USD 195 million
Headquarters: St. Simons Island, Georgia, USA
About the company: SeaPak has been using coastal-inspired recipes to make great-tasting shrimp and seafood for more than 65 years. The
company is committed to making life for consumers “more coastal,” through outstanding, quality seafood products that are so authentic, they take you
to the coast. The trusted name for delicious seafood products since 1948, SeaPak today produces America’s No. 1-selling retail frozen shrimp brand
within the specialty seafood category. SeaPak is highly regarded within the seafood industry for its adherence to the utmost in quality standards and
for its commitment to resource management and sustainability.
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#20) Inland Seafood
Last year’s ranking: 23
2015 total sales: USD 220 million (D)
2014 total sales: USD 220 million
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia
About the company: Inland Seafood is the largest full-line processor and distributor of more than 1,000 fresh, frozen, smoked and specialty
seafood products in the Southeast United States, according to the company’s website. The seafood distributor is committed to sustainability in an
environmental, economic and social sense, and has secured a HACCP-based SQF Level 3 certification for food safety. Inland Seafood is a member
of the National Fisheries Institute’s Salmon Council, which promotes high-quality salmon products, both farmed and wild-caught, that are packed
with protein and nutrients.
#19) Mark Foods Inc.
Last year’s ranking: 24
2015 total sales: USD 221 million
2014 total sales: USD 198 million
Headquarters: New York, N.Y.
About the company: Mark Foods, based in the heart of New York City, focuses on the import and distribution of high-end – and usually wild –
lseafood. It imports Spanish octopus, New Zealand mussels, black cod, and lobster tails, crab and shrimp from around the world. It is one of the
leading U.S. suppliers of Chilean sea bass, or Patagonian toothfish, and belongs to the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators. Last year was Mark
Foods’ debut on the Top Suppliers List.
#18) Pacific American Fish Co. (PAFCO)
Last year’s ranking: 22
2015 total sales: USD 244 million
2014 total sales: USD 250 million
Headquarters: Vernon, California, USA
About the company: Pacific American Fish Co., or PAFCO, was established in 1977 by Joseph Huh and his two sons, Peter and Paul, who now run
the company. PAFCO offers more than 3,000 fresh and frozen products, from lobster tails and sockeye salmon fillets to fish roes and breaded shrimp
packed for retail. Headquartered in Vernon, Calif., PAFCO also has facilities on Pier 45 in San Francisco, California and on the waterfront in Boston,
Massachusetts. Its brands include Oceankist, Pacific Surf, Snak N’Go and Pete’s Seafood.
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#17) Censea
Last year’s ranking: 19
2015 total sales: USD 295 million
2014 total sales: USD 315 million
Headquarters: Northbrook, Illinois
About the company: Central Seaway has been acting as the buying and selling agent for Censea, Inc. for over 50 years . The company specializes
in the sale and distribution of a range of products including shrimp, lobster tails, scallops, tilapia and more, under two primary brands: CENSEA and
A-PAC. Censea imports, on average, more than USD 200 million of qualities seafood from more than 30 countries around the world. Personnel make
a habit of regularly visiting the company’s seafood suppliers.
#16) National Fish and Seafood
Last year’s ranking: 18
2015 total sales: –
2014 total sales: USD 325 million
Headquarters: Goucester, Massachusetts, USA
About the company: National Fish & Seafood processes and markets more than 40,000 tons of frozen seafood annually under the National Fish,
Matlaw’s and Schooner brands. The company serves both retail and foodservice accounts, offering a variety finfish and shellfish products. The
company sources, processes and distributes more than 35,000 tons of frozen raw fish fillets and shrimp, cooked shrimp and breaded fish and
seafood products at its 66,000-square-foot facility in Gloucester, Massachusetts, where it has about 150 employees. Of that total, 11,500 tons are
produced for its National Fish, Matlaw’s and Schooner brands.
#15) Harbor Seafood
Last year’s ranking: 17
2015 total sales: USD 340 million
2014 total sales: USD 340 million
Headquarters: New Hyde Park, New York
About the company: Founded by chef turned food broker Pete Cardone in 1975, Harbor Seafood has been delivering commodity and value-
added seafood for more than 40 years now. The company is known for its hands-on approach, sourcing and importing all of its seafood direct by
approaching fishermen/boats for raw materials and partnering with exclusive plants. A regular on SeafoodSource’s Top 25 North American Seafood
Suppliers list – having ranked for the past 11 years – Harbor Seafood consistently makes strides in the areas of acquisitions, marketing agreements
and mergers year-after-year. G.F. Higgins, Ocean Venture, Southern Fisheries, BJ Trading & Marketing, Royal Greenland, and Carrington Foods, Inc. are
all prominent Harbor Seafood affiliates.
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#14) Clearwater
Last year’s ranking: 16
2015 total sales: USD 387.8 million (CAD 504.9 million)
2014 total sales: USD 358 million (CAD 446 million)
Headquarters: Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada
About the company: Clearwater is one of North America’s largest vertically integrated seafood companies and the largest holder of shellfish
licenses and quotas in Canada. It fishes internationally for scallops, lobster, clams, coldwater shrimp, crab and groundfish. The company has a
10-vessel fleet that includes traditional and state-of-the-art factory vessels, fishing in Canadian and Argentine waters. It owns Glaciar Pesquera, an
Argentine subsidiary that harvests and sells scallops, and has a joint venture with Clearwater Ocean Prawns, which annually harvests 15,000 metric
tonnes of Canadian coldwater prawns and 2,000 metric tonnes of turbot.
#13) East Coast Seafood
Last year’s ranking: 20
2015 total sales: USD 403 million
2014 total sales: USD 311 million
Headquarters: Topsfield, Massachusetts, USA
About the company: East Coast Seafood has built itself into one of the top 25 largest seafood suppliers in North America through reliance on one
of the East Coast’s signature seafood species: the North American lobster. The company operates processing facilities in Maine and Massachusetts
and is believed to be the largest exporter of lobster in North America. In 2012, the company expanded its offerings through the purchase of scallop
supplier Seatrade International, and with a joint venture with another live lobster supplier, Garbo Lobster.
#12) Eastern Fish
Last year’s ranking: 12
2015 total sales: USD 440 million
2014 total sales: USD 450 million
Headquarters: Teaneck, New Jersey, USA
About the company: Eastern Fish is one of the leading importers of shrimp into the United States, bringing in more than 72 million pounds of
shrimp annually, both wild-caught and farm-raised, from 14 different countries. In addition to shrimp, the company also imports and sells sea and
bay scallops, king and snow crab, lobster, squid and finfish under its SAIL brand. The company was purchased by Japan conglomerate Marubeni
Corp. for USD 56.7 million (EUR 50.7 million) in 2014.
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#11) Beaver Street Fisheries
Last year’s ranking: 9
2015 total sales: USD 500 million
2014 total sales: Did not reveal
Headquarters: Jacksonville, Florida, USA
About the company: Now in its fourth generation of family ownership, the Frisch family took what was once a small retail fish market in West
Jacksonville, Florida and turned it into a half-a-billion dollar company. Beaver Street Fisheries imports, manufactures and distributes frozen seafood
products, marketing them under the Sea Best brand. With more than 1,600 individual products in its repertoire, Beaver Street offers one of the largest
seafood selections in the United States to customers that include retail grocers, food service distributors and other large users of their products. An affiliate,
Tropic Seafood, harvests and processes lobster tail and other seafood in the Bahamas, and sells it under the Island Queen and Island Prince brands.
#10) Marine Harvest USA
Last year’s ranking: 11
2015 total sales: USD 531 million
2014 total sales: USD 463 million
Headquarters: Miami, Florida, USAPublic or private: Public (subsidiary of Marine Harvest ASA,
traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange and on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol MHG)
About the company: Marine Harvest USA focuses on the marketing of farmed salmon throughout North America on behalf of its mother
company, Marine Harvest ASA, which is based in Norway. ASA is one of the largest seafood companies in the world, and the world’s largest
producer of Atlantic salmon. The company employs 11,700 people, runs salmon farming operations in 24 countries, and sells its products in more
than 70 markets worldwide. In 2015, its salmon harvest was estimated at 420,000 metric tonnes and the company had a turnover of NOK 28 billion
(USD 10.56 billion, EUR 9.47 billion).
#9) Mazzetta Co.
Last year’s ranking: 7
2015 total sales: –
2014 total sales: USD 605 million
Headquarters: Highland Park, Illinois, USA
About the company: While Mazzetta may be based in the center of the United States, its heart is in the sea. A fully integrated producer and
importer of shrimp, mussels, lobster and finfish, the company offers more than 300 varieties of those products, exports to and imports from 33
countries, and has more than 300,000 square feet of cold storage in its Londonderry, New Hampshire plant.
Mazzetta is a leading lobster supplier that acquired Atwood Lobster in Maine four years ago, in addition to a processing company in Canada and
production facilities in the Bahamas. Also offering a wide range of finfish, mussels and shrimp, Mazzetta’s sales have grown approximately 50
percent over the past six years. (2013 sales were USD 560 million, ranked No. 8.)
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#8) StarKist (Dongwon Group)
Last year’s ranking: 6
2015 total sales: USD 651.3 million
2014 total sales: USD 684.1 million
Headquarters: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
About the company: One of the largest tuna fishers in the world, StarKist produces a full retail line of canned and pouched yellowfin, albacore
and skipjack tuna. The company was purchased by South Korean conglomerate Dongwon Industries in 2008 for more than USD 300 million (EUR
269 million). The company, which owns no tuna fishing boats (though it does source from Dongwon-owned boats) runs a production facility in
American Samoa with more than 2,000 workers. The company also has processing facilities in Ecuador and Senegal. All of its product packages bear
the image of its iconic mascot, Charlie the Tuna, who made his first appearance in the early 1960s.
#7) Cooke Aquaculture
Last year’s ranking: 8
2015 total sales: USD 727.1 million
2014 total sales: USD 576 million
Headquarters: Blacks Harbor, New Brunswick, Canada
About the company: Cooke Aquaculture had a highly acquisitive year, resulting in a growth in annual sales and a jump in the rankings. Last year,
it added Wanchese Fish Company to its fold, and previously acquired True North Salmon as well as operations in Chile, Spain and Scotland. Through
its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Cooke Aquaculture processes and sells 115,000 metric tons (whole fish equivalent) of Atlantic salmon and 20,000
metric tons (whole fish equivalent) of sea bass and sea bream each year and annual sales are valued at nearly USD 1 billion (EUR 895 million).
#6) Nippon Suisan USA (Nissui)
Last year’s ranking: 5
2015 total sales: USD 903.2 million
2014 total sales: USD 860 million
Headquarters: Redmond, Washington, USA
About the company: Nippon Suisan USA was established in 1974 as the holding and supervising company for all Nissui group companies in North
America, which consists of Gorton’s and F.W. Bryce (Gloucester, Mass.), King & Prince Seafood (Brunswick, Ga.), Unisea (Redmond, Wash.) and Glacier
Fish Co. (Seattle). Internationally, the Japan-based Nippon Suisan Kaisha owns 61subsidiaries and 44 associated companies around the world, and
accounts for annual revenue in excess of USD 5 billion (EUR 4.47 billion).
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#5) Maruha Nichiro Corp.
Last year’s ranking: 15
2015 total sales: USD 973.5 million
2014 total sales: USD 786.3 million
Headquarters: Seattle, Washington, USA
About the company: Maruha Nichiro Corp. is, by many estimates, the largest seafood company in the world, with global operations, including
a sizeable operation in North America. Based in Tokyo, Japan, the company has a long history in Alaska fisheries, having purchased subsidiaries
including Westward Seafoods, Alyeska Seafoods, Premier Pacific Seafoods and Peter Pan Seafoods, all based in Seattle, Washington and Trans Ocean
Products in Bellingham, Washington.
#3) [tie] Bumble Bee Seafoods
Last year’s ranking: 4
2015 total sales: USD 1 billion
2014 total sales: USD 1 billion
Headquarters: San Diego, California, USA
About the company: Bumble Bee Seafoods, owned by U.K.-based Lion Capital, produces a full line of canned and pouched tuna, salmon, sardines,
and specialty seafood products marketed in the U.S. and Canada. According to sales figures reported to SeafoodSource, the company has achieved
more than USD 1 billion in sales each year for the past four years.
#3) [tie] Tri Marine International
Last year’s ranking: 1
2015 total sales: USD 1 billion
2014 total sales: USD 1 billion
Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington, USA
About the company: The No. 1-ranked company in this list for the past several years, Tri Marine International dropped into a tie for third despite
not losing any sales from the previous year. Despite the drop, Tri Marine, which has more than 5,000 employees, remains one of the world’s leading
raw material suppliers for the tuna industry, supplying leading tuna brands worldwide. The company operates 14 purse seiners as well as processing
plants in San Pedro, Calif.; Port Louis, Mauritius; the Solomon Islands; the Marshall Islands; Ningbo, China; Barranquilla, Colombia; and Manta, Ecuador.
THE TOP 25: NORTH AMERICAN SEAFOOD SUPPLIERS, VOLUME 2
#2) High Liner Foods
Last year’s ranking: 3
2015 total sales: USD 1.001 billion
2014 total sales: USD 1.051 billion
Headquarters: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada
About the company: High Liner Foods has become one of the largest seafood companies in North America through a combination of internal
growth and smart acquisitions. The company sold more than 200,000 pounds of seafood by sales volume in 2015.
With roots in the Atlantic Canadian fishery, High Liner now buys and sells globally. In recent years, it has completed four significant purchases
– American companies FPI Limited, Viking Seafoods and American Pride Seafoods, and Icelandic Group’s U.S. subsidiary and Asian procurement
operations that have contributed to its rapid growth. In fact, the company has grown fourfold in the past eight years, increasing its annual sales
from USD 250 million to USD 1 billion. On the sustainability front, in 2013 it reached 99 percent of its goal of sourcing all of its product from
sustainable or responsible supply.
#1) Chicken of the Sea
Last year’s ranking: 2
2015 total sales: USD 1.28 billion
2014 total sales: USD 1.24 billion
Headquarters: El Segundo, CA (COSFF) and San Diego, CA (COSI).
About the company: Last year’s second-ranked company, Chicken of the Sea, has taken over the top spot as North America’s largest seafood
supplier this year. This is in no small part due to a rapidly growing frozen foods division that was founded less than a decade ago. It also doesn’t
hurt that it is owned by a massive parent company, Thai Union Group, which is one of the largest seafood suppliers in the world. The company’s
pouches, cans and cups of salmon, tuna, tilapia, clams, crab, mackerel, oysters, sardines, shrimp and kipper snacks are seemingly ubiquitous, with
distribution across North America.
Get even more information about the top 25 North American seafood suppliers! SeafoodSource editors have also compiled a more detailed dossier of each firm that made the
Top 25 North American Seafood Suppliers in a comprehensive eBook. Purchase your copy HERE!
Included in this new eBook:
• Detailed production volumes
• Species sold
• Sourcing information
• Recent company news that may have affected the company’s performance and outlook for the current year
• New initiatives launched over the past 18 months: new products, entry into new markets
