Humble Beginnings

They say it takes an entrepreneur with a vision to create a long-lasting company, and Jerry Knecht is that person.

In 1976, the U.S.A. extended its fishing limits from 12 miles to 200 miles from the coast. Jerry Knecht understood exactly what this meant and immediately took advantage of the government’s exclusion of foreign fishing vessels and its generous tax incentives to fishing communities.  With that decision, North Atlantic Seafood LLC was born with Jerry Knecht at the helm of a fleet of five vessels and a processing plant in Maine. 

 By 1998 North Atlantic Inc had read the signs of diminishing supply correctly It was time to sell the fleet and concentrate on the processing arm of its operation.  This strategically sound decision attracted the attention of Slade Gorton, New England’s century-old fishing stalwart, and in 2003 North Atlantic Inc and Slade Gorton established their first partnership.

In the early days the partnership concentrated solely on processing salmon sourced from the abundant waters of Canada. After several years of steady success it became apparent that Salmon would be processed in Canada closer to home new and healthy fishing grounds were needed to expand the range of species at North Atlantic. 

 In short, the catch cry was, "Go Find Fish." 

  It was time to look to South East Asia.