 by Clay Bezenek December 17, 2004
The local fishermen for the last ten or so years have been wondering how they are going to make it to the next year, and a lot haven't. This has been tough on our local marine economy. During the last two and a-half years though, the tide has changed, and the majority of consumers now show a preference for wild salmon. This cold storage concept is NOT unique to Ketchikan alone. Petersburg, Craig and Wrangell are all in the serious investigative phases {ie. pricing equip. and land acquisition} that go along the road-map to completion. Ketchikan needs this facility to bolster local processing, not take away from it. There are millions of pounds of fish leaving this community every year to be processed elsewhere. Why not process it here? There are also fish shipped south, then returned north. Not really efficient! It is my honest opinion that anybody that doesn't support this project is not looking out for what's best for Ketchikan's fisherman, but for their own selves. Whether any local fisherman chooses to use this facility or not, having this project built in our community will benefit all commercial fishermen by keeping fish here to be frozen, and possibly reprocessed. Costs will be saved by processors who don't have to tender fish elsewhere, and most importantly, the quality of Ketchikan fish will raised with quicker freeze times. The positive economic impact of this project to Ketchikan will flow through this community for years to come. It will be the best money spent on anything in Ward Cove since AP built their plant there fifty years ago. I support this project 100% for the people of Ketchikan! Respectfully, Clay Bezenek
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