Overview

American Seafoods is one of the largest integrated seafood companies in the U.S. in terms of revenues. The Company harvests and processes a variety of fish species aboard its sophisticated catcher-processor vessels, its freezer-longliner vessels and at its land-based processing facilities, and markets its products to a diverse group of customers in North America, Asia and Europe. In the U.S., American Seafoods is the largest harvester and at-sea processor of pollock and hake and the largest processor of catfish. In addition, American Seafoods harvests and/or processes additional seafood, including cod, scallops and yellowfin sole. The Company maintains an international marketing network through its U.S., Japan and European sales offices.

American Seafoods operates in two principal business segments, at-sea harvesting and land-based processing. The at-sea harvesting segment includes the harvesting and processing of pollock, cod, hake and yellowfin sole. Processing of these whitefish species occurs on the Company's vessels while at sea. The land-based processing segment includes the processing of pollock, catfish and scallops at our facilities in Alabama and Massachusetts.

American Seafoods is the largest harvester in the U.S. Bering Sea fishery with approximately 45% catcher-processor market share. The U.S. Bering Sea pollock fishery, located off the coast of Alaska, is the largest commercial finfish fishery in the U.S. Many believe that the U.S. Bering Sea Pollock fishery is among the world's largest and most conservatively managed fisheries. Under its Southern Pride Catfish and American Pride brands, the Company is also the largest catfish processor in the United States. The Company purchases the catfish from farmer-owned farms, processes the catfish at two facilities in Alabama, and then distributes the finished product nationwide via an owned and operated fleet of refrigerated trucks.