People in Petersburg heard the steam whistle blowing at OBI Seafoods in Petersburg again on Wednesday.
The Petersburg seafood plant blew its whistle around noon marking 200,000 cases of canned salmon, just two weeks after the plant hit the 100,000 case milestone.
It’s one of the better seasons in recent years for the local plant although not a record. Fishing fleets are catching a stronger-than-expected pink salmon return in the region this year. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says the region-wide catch last week topped 30 million pinks, already surpassing the 28 million forecast going into the season. Fish and Game now predicts a total catch of 39 million by the end of the season, which would be an above average harvest.
