Our Members

Building a better understanding of our industry starts with telling our story.

Commercial fishing is a grueling and sometimes dangerous job.  Fishermen must undergo rigorous safety training and be able to do difficult work in often times inclement weather.  The MTC vessels that fish in Alaska make a 1600-mile open ocean trip just to get to the fishing grounds off Kodiak and Dutch Harbor.  Rough seas and ever-changing complex regulations complicate the work.

In the commercial fishing industry, not all vessels are alike. That’s true of the Midwater Trawlers Cooperative membership, too. For instance, some of our members fish only in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. Some members fish only on the Pacific coast, and others can be found both off the coast of Oregon and Washington, as well as the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. These vessels make up part of Oregon’s Distant Water Fleet. There’s variety in what they catch and also variety in how they catch it.

All this variety means MTC must stay up-to-speed on a whole host of regulatory and fisheries -related issues. As a trade association, MTC serves as the collective voice of its members. This is a current list of our members and the owners of each vessel.

Member Vessel Owner Area Fished
Bay Islander Kurt Cochran & Keith Cochran Alaska & West Coast
Collier Brothers Mike Schones Alaska & West Coast
Excalibur Mike Retherford West Coast
Excalibur II Kent Leslie & Bill Jacobson Alaska
Gold Rush Don Ashley & Bert Ashley Alaska
Golden Pisces Dennis McMannus Alaska
Grumpy J Pacific Seafoods West Coast
Hickory Wind Bering North LLC Alaska & West Coast
Jamie Marie Ocean Gold Seafoods West Coast
Leslie Lee Mark Cooper Alaska & West Coast
Lisa Melinda Ocean Gold Seafoods Alaska & West Coast
Majesty Trident Seafoods Alaska
Marathon Kurt Cochran Alaska & West Coast
Michelle Renee Stoian Iankov Alaska
Miss Berdie Stan Schones & Tom Stam Alaska & West Coast
Miss Sarah Todd Whaley Alaska & West Coast
Miss Sue Jim Seavers West Coast
Muir Milach Trident Seafoods Alaska & West Coast
New Life Kurt Cochran Alaska
Nordic Star Aleutian Spray Industries Alaska & West Coast
Northern Ram Trident Seafoods Alaska & West Coast
Pacific Mark Cooper West Coast
Pacific Future Pacific Seafoods West Coast
Pacific Ram Trident Seafoods Alaska & West Coast
Pegasus Justin Johnson Alaska & West Coast
Predator Mark Cooper & Chris Cooper Alaska & West Coast
Raven Robert Smith & Lyle Yeck Alaska & West Coast
Sea Clipper Ocean Gold Seafoods West Coast
Sea Storm Arctic Storm Management Group Alaska & West Coast
Seadawn Fred Yeck Alaska & West Coast
Seeker Jim Seavers Alaska & West Coast
Sunset Bay Bering North LLC Alaska
Winona J Mike Retherford West Coast

Our members play a significant role in the local economy of their home ports. It is not unusual for one of these vessels to generate more than $1 million in annual payroll, not to mention the millions spent on repairs, overhauls, and outfitting with regional vendors and boatyards.

The majority of MTC vessels belong to multi-generational fishing families – meaning they come from fishing families and their children are working hard to take over the businesses. MTC vessels range in length from 80 to 120 feet. Combined, our member boats support approximately 500 families per year directly and thousands more through the processing plants to whom they deliver their catch, not to mention the services and goods that must be purchased to support vessel operations.