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American Seafoods has 25 new cases of COVID-19 among crew aboard 2 factory trawlers

By Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times
Published: June 5, 2020, 9:18am

SEATTLE — Test results released Thursday evening have identified 25 COVID-19 cases among the crew of two factory trawlers operated by Seattle-based American Seafoods.

These cases aboard the American Triumph and the Northern Jaeger were confirmed Thursday evening as the vessels moored in Bellingham to offload frozen fish. They were announced by the Whatcom County Department of Health, and follow test results last week in Bellingham that confirmed a larger COVID-19 outbreak among 86 of 126 crew aboard a third American Seafoods vessel — the American Dynasty.

This is more bad news for the region’s seafood industry, which is struggling to keep COVID-19 off fishing vessels and also limit its spread among shore-based processing workers employed in Northwest and Alaska coastal communities.

The large number of cases aboard the American Dynasty underscores how easily the virus can spread aboard a fishing vessel, where many workers labor long hours in close quarters to one another. That vessel returned to Seattle earlier this week, and most of the crew who tested positive are housed in lodging acquired by King County for COVID-19 patients.

The smaller number of COVID-19 positive crew from the American Triumph and the Northern Jaeger will stay at an isolation facility in Bellingham, according to a statement released by the Whatcom County Health Department.

“This is a dynamic and evolving situation,” the statement said. “More information will be provided as it becomes available.”

Seattle-based American Seafoods earlier this week confirmed the Northern Jaeger and American Triumph crews would be screened for COVID-19 in Bellingham. On Thursday night, a company spokesperson did not release a statement, and it was unclear how many of the positive cases were among American Triumph crew, and how many involved the Northern Jaeger crew. There also was no information released about the number of crew employed on each vessel.

American Seafoods operates a fleet of six factory trawlers that catch and process fish off Washington and Alaska. The three vessels that have had outbreaks were involved in a spring harvest of Pacific Whiting off the Pacific Northwest coast, and have been scheduled to head north to Alaska for the summer season to fish for Bering Sea pollock.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, seafood companies have worked with health consultants to come up with plans to try to keep the virus from their boats, as well as processing plants in Alaska communities, where there are serious concerns the industry will spread the pandemic onshore.

American Seafoods’ plan involves at least a five-day quarantine as well as testing crew members for the infection and the presence of antibodies, according to a company spokesperson. Only those who test negative have been allowed to board vessels.

“The health and safety of our crew, employees, and the communities where we operate is always the top priority for us,” said Mikel Durham, American Seafoods chief executive, in a statement released earlier this week.

Some companies have opted for full 14-day quarantines, along with testing.

They include Seattle-based Trident Seafoods, which operates vessels and a network of Alaska processing plants.

Joe Bundrant, chief executive officer of Trident Seafoods, said even with the two-week quarantine, he still worries.

“There is so much unknown about this virus,” Bundrant said Thursday.

Seafood company employee quarantines are likely to get more scrutiny in the weeks ahead as the COVID-19 outbreaks grow in the Northwest and Alaska.

This week in the small Alaska coastal town of Whittier, 11 seafood processing workers have tested positive for COVID-19. Those workers were the first confirmed cases in that community, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

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