85 crew members aboard factory trawler in Unalaska (AK) test positive for COVID-19
Source: Anchorage Daily News
Eighty-five crew members on an American Seafoods ship docked in the Aleutians tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend, according to the company.
The American Triumph, an American Seafoods factory trawler, departed Oregon on June 27 and headed to Alaska with 119 crew members to fish for pollock, the company wrote in a statement. Seven crew members reported COVID-19 symptoms two weeks after the ship departed, and they were tested in Unalaska shortly after arriving on Thursday. Six of the seven tested positive.
After testing all the remaining crew members, 79 more workers were found to be positive, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases on the American Triumph to 85, according to a statement from the city. It was not immediately clear how many of the crew members were experiencing COVID-19 symptoms prior to testing, but American Seafoods spokeswoman Suzanne Lugoni said the company screens employees before they board and no one showed COVID-19 symptoms prior to departure.
Alaska saw a record number of COVID-19 cases reported Sunday, with 119 new infections statewide. Of the 85 Unalaska cases, thirty-six were reported in time to be included in the state’s daily total Sunday.
Read more: https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/2020/07/19/85-crewmembers-aboard-seafood-ship-in-unalaska-test-positive-for-covid-19/
Apparently this is the 2nd mass outbreak on ships owned by this company -
Author: Hal Bernton, The Seattle Times
Updated: June 12 Published June 12
SEATTLE — Seattle-based American Seafoods will forgo additional COVID-19 screening of the Ocean Rover factory trawler, a move that has some crew members worried and wanting more assurances the disease has not found its way onto the Alaska-bound vessel.
American Seafoods has been buffeted in the past two weeks by test results from crews of three other vessels unloading frozen fish in Bellingham. Testing positive: 94 crew members on the American Dynasty, four on the American Triumph and 21 on the Northern Jaeger, findings that rattled the North Pacific seafood industry, which is struggling to keep the virus off boats and shore-based plants as the busy summer harvest season approaches. This week, American Seafoods announced it would boost efforts to keep the new coronavirus off its factory trawlers, switching from preboarding testing coupled with quarantines of at least five days to longer two-week quarantines.
The crew of the Ocean Rover, which this week finished off a spring season fishing for Pacific whiting off the Northwest coast, underwent the same shorter quarantine period that failed to keep the virus off the three other vessels. Some crew and families of crew reached out to The Seattle Times to express their dismay at the company's decision to not make a June port stop in Bellingham for screening. They note that many of the crew on the other vessels that tested positive had no symptoms, and wonder whether some of their crew might also unknowingly be carrying the virus.
"We were supposed to get tested. We have our rights. I demand to get tested," said a crewman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing concerns about possible retaliation from his employer. American Seafoods issued a statement Thursday, saying the Ocean Rover has been at sea for a month, and there is no information about any COVID-related illness on board. The vessel is expected to arrive Sunday at the Dutch Harbor port at Unalaska and will fish for pollock.
More: https://www.adn.com/business-economy/2020/06/12/crew-of-alaska-bound-fishing-vessel-worries-after-company-rejects-more-covid-19-screening/
= new reply since forum marked as read
if you have an "asymptomatic" spreader - meaning they don't have any "fever" either. 
Sadly, just like we saw happen early on with the cruise industry, the large fishing vessels are unfortunately going to be breeding grounds for viral spread. And in addition to Alaska and the salmon/pollock etc., industry, the problem applies to both coasts and the Gulf of Mexico, where commercial fishing is a major industry and livelihood. 
The seafood "farms" might fare better given how they are set up with large aquatic sections, offering the ability to distance (and these are outside and have people working outside and/or in large warehouses). Plus the shellfish/squid, etc., trawlers tend to have smaller boats/crews. But anyone on a large vessel has a potential to be screwed.
