Coastal Transportation, Inc. has been donating southbound freight from Dutch Harbor, Alaska to Seattle for SeaShare for many years. Coastal brings the donated h&g salmon and halibut to Seattle, where SeaShare has it processed into steaks for food banks across throughout the nation.

Coastal Transportation was founded by Peter and Leslie Strong, who had tendered salmon in Alaska since the early 1970s. They started the company with one boat and a hold full of crab and established a permanent presence in Dutch Harbor with the purchase of a dock in 1999. They also currently have a terminal in Seattle.

Coastal operates six vessels with scheduled year-round sailings between Seattle and ports throughout Western Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. There are now 45 refrigerated vans on site to hold frozen product in Dutch Harbor. All of their vessels are self-sustaining and 100 percent palletized, enabling a level of speed and flexibility unique to the region.

SeaShare recently recognized Coastal Transportation as an Outstanding Donor at its facility in Seattle. Jim Harmon, SeaShare Executive Director, and Jan Jacobs, SeaShare Board member, presented Elliot Strong, Coastal VP of Freight Traffic, and Jeff Allen, Account Executive for Coastal, with a custom glass plate thanking Coastal Transportation for many years of donated commitment and service to SeaShare.

Over 16 million seafood servings have been donated to the food bank system as a result of this program in the last 25 years. We could not have achieved those kind of results without the strategic help of Coastal Transportation. From the boat captains and crews to the logistics staff, forklift operators, warehouse staff and management it has been a pleasure to work with Coastal Transportation for so many years.