Swinomish Fish Company closed

After two terrible fishing seasons and with this year expected to be even worse, the Swinomish Fish Company has shut down.

Brian Genge, manager of the facility that produces the popular Native Catch brand of canned salmon, said, “We have stopped operations for this period, because there are no expected big fisheries this year.”

Still, the closure of the plant, owned and operated by the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, is not expected to be permanent, he said. The tribe expects to work with other businesses to have their fish processed at its plant until the fisheries rebound.

More than five years ago, the plant processed farmed salmon.

According to Genge, farmed fish accounts for the majority of the salmon consumed nowadays. “The ocean doesn’t provide like it used to,” he said.

Crab season is coming up next month, and while the Swinomish Fish Company sells live crab, it does not process them. The plant’s main functions are canning and filleting.

When the fish were abundant, Swinomish Fish Company produced a number of products, including salmon bacon, smoked salmon and even salmon sausage.

A year ago, the company was named the Small Disadvantaged Contractor of the Year by the USDA Agricultural Market Service.