Preliminary Guide to the New England Fish Company Records
circa 1900-1980

Historical Note

The New England Fish Company was founded in 1868 by 11 wholesale fish dealers in Gloucester, Massechusetts. In the 1880s, the growth in demand for halibut and the limitations of the Atlantic catch caused the company to look to North Pacific waters. The opening of the Northern Pacific Railroad line to Tacoma made possible the marketing of West Coast halibut. NEFCO's West Coast activities expanded rapidly in Washington, Alaska, and Canada and the company soon was supplying East Coast dealers with Columbia River salmon. In 1918, NEFCO built its first salmon cannery in Vancouver B.C. and its first U.S. salmon cannery in Ketchikan, Alaska in 1923. By 1931, the center of activities had moved west and NEFCO moved its head office from Boston to Seattle, where it became the largest producer of salmon products in North America. During the 1970s, the company expanded and diversified rapidly but began losing money. NEFCO was brought down in 1979 when a huge salmon run in Bristol Bay left the company with a glut of salmon while prices fell. The company filed for protection in early 1980 and on March 31, 1989 the bankruptcy trustee's office finally closed. The depressed state of the industry prolonged the liquidation of the company's assets but the trustee finally settled all claims in full.

Scope and Content

Minutes, financial records, correspondence, reports, legal case files, fish production statistics, and related records.

The records include corporate minutes as far back as the turn of the century.

Restrictions on Access

Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info

Donated by New England Fish Company, 2/6/1989.