Our family is dedicated to environmentally safe hook-and-line fishing in Alaska. We work long days on the ocean in all kinds of weather, carefully catching fish one at a time, then immediately processing them right on our boat. The result is premium quality seafood that is as beautiful and fresh as the minute it’s caught.
Mark’s love of fishing began as a child with special fishing trips with his father. He established Troller Point Fisheries in 1989 with his wife Dianna, while raising their two young children in Alaska. The Ocean Oasis became a second home for the children and the love for the fishing life soon caught on.
Trolling along the beautiful Alaska coastline, views of dramatic waterfalls, grizzly bears, and an occasional dip in a local hot spring, led to many exciting adventures.
As the family and business grew, everyone became more involved in all aspects of the production. Processing methods were developed to insure the highest quality product. Mark grew in his commitment to preserving his livelihood through good stewardship of the environment. Ocean environment issues, the proliferation of fish farms and management of wild fish populations became vital to the long term health of the ecosystem.
Mark’s personal philosophy and commitment to the environment, have made Troller Point Fisheries a leader in sustainable fisheries. He takes a small crew out to troll, not trawl along the coastline. He doesn’t use giant nets that snag anything and everything—he uses four lines with four to six lures (small spoons, bright flashers, and herring baits) on each.
Trolling for salmon is tricky, as it is challenging, but the bottom line is that this method protects the marine environment and the quality of the fish. Using this method, it takes his crew 12 to 21 days to fill his boat to its 12,000 pound capacity.
In contrast, factory-farmed salmon are crowded into confined pens or ponds, fed feeds containing antibiotics, growth stimulants and coloring agents, all to prevent disease, promote abnormally fast growth, and color the flesh, and nearly all are imported from foreign countries.
Wild Alaskan salmon is pure, natural, delicious food—the way it was meant to be!
Some people think that “fresh” is the best kind of seafood, but ask yourself how fresh that fresh fish really is, and where is it from? No farm raised or net caught fish can match our quality.
On the Ocean Oasis, we carefully clean and inspect each fish before they are quick-frozen to -40 (-50°F) degrees as soon as they are brought on board. The flash-freeze method preserves the delicate cell structure and keeps moisture inside the fish.
Once the fish are located they are lured into biting with spoons, bright flashers, herring or plugs. They are brought to the surface one at a time where they are carefully landed, cleaned and pressure bled. Pressure bleeding is the key to producing the finest gourmet quality fish.
A hose is cut at an angle then placed over the knuckle area of the spine gently forcing water through the vascular system forcing virtually all blood from the entire fish. The removal of the blood ensures the fish will keep its fresh caught flavor and quality as well as extending shelf life.
Fish are then placed into the refrigerated -50°F fish hold and are met with a combination of blast freeze and Dole contact freezer plates. Once placed on the freezer plates it is only minutes before the fish are rock hard and are then glazed in clean saltwater twice.
This quick freeze method preserves the delicate cell structure, keeping the moisture inside the fish and the glazing prevents freezer burn. When thawed, our fish is just as it came out of the water, beautiful!
Our method of harvest, care in cleaning, pressure bleeding and quick freezing within the hour of landing are unequaled. This process cannot be matched by any net fishery or farm/pen raised seafood.
Alaska seafood is the natural choice: wholesome, healthy and delicious. Our commitment is to provide only the finest gourmet quality Alaskan seafood that the ocean produces.