Pacific Seafood getting even bigger following merger
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, July 28, 2026
SOUTH BEND — Major seafood company Pacific Seafood has officially acquired the distribution component of Ocean Beauty Seafoods. The transaction closed on July 13. According to the corporations, the merger will help meet an increasing demand for seafood across the country.
The purchase is part a long-term strategy by Pacific Seafood, which has developed a near-monopoly over aspects of the West Coast seafood business. The industry news site Seafood Source reported the firm is focused on expansion, “with an overall goal to double the size of its business by 2031 via its ‘Mission 31’ initiative. That goal has seen it launch a brand refresh and open its first office in Europe to drive further sales. It has also purchased additional capacity via the acquisition of Trident Seafoods’ Kodiak, Alaska-based processing facility in December 2024.”
Pacific Seafood President and CEO Frank Dulcich, Jr. commented on the merger, the specific financial terms of which were not disclosed.
“We are excited to bring our teams together by combining the best of both our respective companies, which will make us stronger and better together to serve our valued customers, our communities in which we serve, and our joint teams and their families,” he said.
Ocean Beauty Seafoods distribution operations will remain focused on serving customers “with the reliability and consistency they depend on,” while gaining access to Pacific Seafood’s broader resources and network, according to a statement.
Major employer
Pacific Seafood was founded in 1941 by Frank Dulcich, Sr. and manages all parts of the supply chain from harvesting, fishing, processing, aquaculture and distribution. It is a major employer in Pacific County, operating the large Coast Seafoods oyster-processing plant in South Bend and related shellfish-farming operations on Willapa Bay. Columbia River-based vessels provide additional diverse seafood products to the firm.
Ocean Beauty Seafoods is a seafood processor and distributor and has been in the business for over 100 years, first starting in Seattle in 1910.
The merger includes Ocean Beauty’s locations in Astoria and Portland in Oregon; Boise, Idaho; Dallas, Texas; Helena, Montana; and Renton, Washington. However, it does not include Ocean Beauty’s Salt Lake City location.
Longtime Ocean Beauty Seafoods investor Michael Link, described the merger as: “A combination of two companies that are complementary and will create a sustainable and exciting future for all of Ocean Beauty Seafoods customers and team members.”
In addition to its Willapa Bay operations, Clatsop County is home to both a Pacific Seafood location — Pacific Bioproducts in Warrenton — and an Ocean Beauty distribution location in Astoria.
Kady Freeze, marketing brand manager with Pacific Seafood, said the companies are looking forward to combining their strengths. “With expanded resources, access to Pacific Seafood’s broader network and support from our nearby Warrenton processing plant, Ocean Beauty will be well positioned to strengthen its distribution capabilities.”
Freeze addressed the possibility of layoffs due to the merger by saying: “Team members have been offered the opportunity to remain with our company. … We’re excited to bring our teams together while creating more growth opportunities for current and future team members.”
Lawsuits and fines
It was previously reported that on Jan. 20, two nonprofits filed a lawsuit against Pacific Seafood’s Bio Products in Warrenton. The lawsuit filed by the Center for Food Safety and the Northwest Environmental Defense Center alleged that the Warrenton facility engaged in over 6,000 violations of the Clean Water Act since 2022.
On April 23, The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality fined Pacific Seafood $3.2 million for water pollution across three coastal facilities: Charleston, Brookings and Warrenton’s Pacific Bio Products facility.
