Alaska Native Corporation Sealaska Buys Majority Stake in Seattle’s Odyssey Enterprises Sealaska, an Alaska native corporation, has acquired a majority interest in Odyssey Enterprises, a Seattle-based seafood processing company that employs some 250 people. The purchase, which closed Monday, is part of Sealaska’s corporate strategy to expand its presence in the seafood industry. Terry Downes, the chief operating officer for Sealaska said they are interested in even more investments in the seafood industry. Indian shrimp imports are offsetting notable declines in shipments from other major US suppliers early on in 2017. According to monthly shrimp import volumes US shipments in February dropped over 7 percent, which pushed imports for the year down about 2 percent. Most major shrimp suppliers posted declines in shipments to the US market. However, imports from India and Indonesia are at least partially offsetting import declines. India is the major factor for US supplies right now since its import volumes through the first two months of the year are far higher from historical averages. In other news, PacRim Coal is suspending all permitting efforts for its proposed Chuitna Coal Project planned for development on the west side of Cook Inlet in Alaska. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources was told about the company's decision late last week. "Following several months of internal review and discussions, the partners in PacRim Coal, LP have decided to suspend pursuit of permitting efforts on the Chuitna Coal Project," PacRim Coal said in a statement. Meanwhile, politicians in Newfoundland said they will try to work with seafood industry participants that are expected to take an economic blow because of major cuts to the region's shrimp and snow crab quotas for the upcoming seasons. “This is devastating news for the industry — both the harvesting and processing sectors,” NDP Leader Earle Mccurdy said. “The issue of that magnitude should be above partisan squabbling and we should be trying to work together to make the best of a real tough situation.” Finally, native tribes along the Columbia River are benefitting from high salmon demand market prices from around the world. Over the past 10 years, prices for Columbia River salmon have roughly quadrupled, and the fish has found more market penetration to white tablecloth restaurants across the country. The higher prices paid for the Native catch have rippling economic benefits for indigenous communities.