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Eastern Fisheries Inc. second factory in China and its fifth worldwide, has been running since last March. The new facility is set to increase Eastern’s sole and flounder production in response to growing customer demand and rising flatfish consumption.

 

 

Dalian Far Eastern Shores Seafood, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastern Fisheries, manages the new factory as well as Eastern’s existing Zhuanghe, China plant. Both companies offer custom filleting, block and IQF freezing, and vacuum pack capabilities.

 

Eastern’s quality-first approach begins in China with Dalian Far Eastern, which oversees flatfish filleting and freezing, and continues in the United States, where Eastern Fisheries distributes finished products domestically and internationally.

 

Both China factories process four wild-caught Alaska flatfish species: yellowfin sole (Limanda aspera), rock sole (Lepidopsetta bilineata), flathead sole  (Hippoglossoides elassodon), and Alaska plaice (Pleuronectes quadrituberculatus). Natural fillets are available skinless, boneless, or skin-on and can be individually or block frozen in many size options. Recent additions to the flatfish program include breaded fillets, battered strips, and 3-8 ounces plaice loins.

 

 

Founders Roy Enoksen and Frank O’Hara began Eastern Fisheries, Inc. as a joint venture in 1978, when they decided to bring the scallops they harvested to broader markets.

 

Key to the vision of Roy and Frank was their belief in managing as many aspects of the business as possible – not only the fishing fleet, but the plants and lines of distribution as well. This outlook enabled them to steer a more forward-thinking course despite market fluctuations. Thanks to this commitment, Eastern Fisheries shortly became the premier supplier of scallops in the world.

 

The company currently operates 23 scallop vessels (largest fleet in the industry), owns and operates three waterfront plant locations in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and two processing facilities in China. It handles approximately 20 million pounds of scallops each year, roughly 20 percent of the total United States consumption.

 

Eastern Fisheries sells scallops in European and Asian markets and strategically imports scallops from major supply regions in the Pacific Rim, Canada, and South and Central Americas.

 

 

Capitalizing on its systems of vertical integration, Eastern recently introduced wild-caught Alaska flatfish to its offerings. In a further move to diversify its seafood, the company dedicated one of its New Bedford plants to the processing and distribution of North Atlantic monkfish (Lophius americanus), dogfish (Squalus acanthias), and skate (Raja radiata).

 

 

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