After two weeks at sea, several crew on board American Seafoods trawler American Triumph developed Covid symptoms, and the factory trawler docked in Unalaska for tests to be carried out.
American Triumph sailed from Oregon on 27th June to fish for Alaska pollock.
After docking in Unalaska, six of American Triumph’s crew tested positive for Covid-19 and have since been isolated, while the company began a programme of testing the remaining members of the trawler’s 119-strong crew
‘Right now our priority is supporting our crew members who tested positive and testing the rest of the Triumph crew,’ said American Seafoods CEO Mikel Durham.
‘I am deeply grateful for our partners in Unalaska, and beyond, who are helping us care for our crew right now. We will continue cooperating with the US Coast Guard and state and local health departments to ensure the crew is getting any care required and communities in which we operate are alerted.’
Community
The Covid-19 crisis has hit American Seafoods hard, and other trawlers within the company have suffered Covid outbreaks on board.
American Seafoods has also responded to the situation by donating nearly 28,000 servings of Alaska pollock to communities hit hardest by Covid-19.
In Seattle, 2300 portions of Alaska pollock have been donated to Operation Sack Lunch, which provides high quality meals to people struggling with hunger, as well as other services such as Covid-19 quarantine shelters.
‘During this crisis OSL has increased our production from just over 3300 meals a day to over 7000 meals,’ said Chef Taran Graham, Director and Logistics Development Manager for OSL’s Food In Motion programme.
‘These meals are vital to the emergency meal system and to the populations who are receiving them.’
In New York City, one of the places hit hardest by Covid-19, American Seafoods donated 25,600 servings of Alaska pollock to City Harvest, New York City’s largest food rescue organisation. Their fleet of 22 trucks are on the road every day delivering fresh, healthy food to New Yorkers in need. American Seafoods’ donations will go through City Harvest to help organisations such as the Harding Ford Vision Pantry, Migrant Kitchen, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, and Open Door Family Life Center.
‘Designated an essential service by New York State, City Harvest has mobilised to feed all New Yorkers in need during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond,’ said food sourcing manager Ellen Granger.
‘We are incredibly thankful for American Seafoods’ support as we continue to scale up our operations to meet the overwhelming need in our city. Their donation has enabled us to deliver high-quality protein to food pantries across the city.’
‘Our promise to the world is we feed people better food sourced from a better place,’ said Mikel Durham at American Seafoods.
‘Many people are facing unprecedented financial burdens because of COVID-19, and that means more people are going hungry. We are committed to helping the world get through this crisis one meal at a time.’
