APA’s Community Catch Program

The At-sea Processors Association’s (APA’s) Community Catch program provides more than one million seafood meals annually to local and national food banks. Most of the donated seafood is Alaska pollock and cod, which is harvested in the well-managed and abundant Bering Sea fisheries. The Community Catch program represents a commitment by APA seafood companies to help end hunger in America by providing wholesome and nutritious products. Seafood is currently one of the largest sources of protein in domestic food assistance programs.

APA works in partnership with SeaShare, a Northwest non-profit that links the seafood industry with Feeding America (www.feedingamerica.org) and formerly America’s Second Harvest), the largest domestic hunger relief organization with more than 200 regional food banks. In 2002, APA’s Community Catch program received Feeding America’s Special Recognition Award, honoring the association’s extraordinary efforts to feed hungry Americans.

The seafood donated by APA’s Community Catch program is distributed in all regions of the U.S. APA recognizes and appreciates the contributions of secondary processors, rail and marine shipping companies and cold storage operators that play an important role in helping package, transport and store donated seafood for reduced or no cost.

The five APA member companies that founded the Community Catch program are American Seafoods Company; Arctic Storm, Inc.; Glacier Fish Company; Starbound Ltd. Partnership; and Trident Seafoods Corporation. These five seafood companies own and operate 19 U.S.-flag catcher/processor vessels that participate in the Bering Sea and west coast groundfish fisheries.

APA is a seafood trade association with offices in Seattle, Juneau, Dutch Harbor, and Washington, D.C. For further information about APA’s Community Catch program, please contact Jim Gilmore at ph. 206/669-6396 or by e-mail at jgilmore@atsea.org.