Pacific Seafood, based in Clackamas, Oregon, has significantly reduced its operations at its Eureka, California plant, halting processing and laying off an undisclosed number of employees. The plant now only unloads oysters, crab, and groundfish and provides ice for fishing vessels, with seafood being shipped to Oregon for processing. This move follows the company’s recent exit from Crescent City Harbor, citing strict California environmental regulations. The decision to scale back in Eureka was due to poor economic conditions and regulatory challenges, though affected workers were offered positions elsewhere. Pacific Seafood remains the largest crab buyer at Humboldt Bay but has reduced its local workforce, impacting the fishing industry. The company, which previously employed 100-200 people at its peak, now has around 60 employees. Despite these changes, Pacific Seafood signed a five-year lease for its warehouse and continues to pay rent. High operational costs, such as steep utility bills, and poor market conditions have contributed to the cutbacks.
