ASTORIA, Ore. — A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court’s ruling blocking two major seafood groups from merging until a trial can determine if doing so would create a monopoly.
The Daily Astorian reported that on Tuesday a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a U.S. District Court’s injunction blocking Pacific Seafood Group from purchasing Ocean Gold Seafoods.
A group of fishermen took the purchase to trial, alleging that the purchase would give Pacific Seafood too much market power. Clackamas-based Pacific Seafood announced last year that the deal to purchase Ocean Gold was canceled, but wanted the court to compel arbitration as part of a previous antitrust suit by fishermen that was settled.
