Coastal Alaska is dotted with numerous small fishing villages. They are each unique in their own way but one thing they have in common is that if they have a fish processing plant they also have an ice house. The ice house is a small pump station for pumping flake ice into a boat’s fish hold or on-deck fish totes before heading out for a fishing trip. Freshly made flake ice keeps wild-caught seafood fresh for the duration of what is usually a 2-5 day trip before fishermen return to the processing plant to unload their catch.

Flake ice produced by industrial ice machines preserves the flavor, texture, and freshness of wild-caught seafood so that fishermen can stay at sea for several days at a time. This saves time and fuel by not having to run into town every day to unload the day’s catch. During the fishing season time is precious and any extra time spent running back and forth to town is time not spent with gear in the water. In the photo below, Tommy L II is taking on fresh ice before heading out to the fishing grounds.

*F/V Tommy L II Taking On Ice at the Wilbur Strahm Icehouse in Pelican*

Some fishermen fill their fish hold with ice, others use on-deck fish totes to ice and hold their fish before bringing them to town to unload. Below is a fresh tote of ice ready to be put to use.

Fish are placed in rows, with heads facing out and tails in the middle. A layer of ice is placed on the bottom of the tote, then the first layer of fish is placed on top of the ice. A layer of ice goes over the fish and the belly cavities are filled with ice as well for maximum preservation. (This is called belly icing.) Then the next layer of fish is placed in the tote and so forth until it is full and a top layer of ice is laid on before the lid is placed on top and clamped down. The photo below shows Coho Salmon in the process of being iced into a fish tote.

We source our wild-caught seafood from fishermen and processors who care deeply about quality and go the extra mile to ensure that the fish they deliver is top of the line, unbeatable anywhere in the world. We would happily put our seafood up against that served in any restaurant or available in any grocery store - it’s just that good!

Quality Matters: Keeping Wild-Caught seafood Fresh With Flake ICe