New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Blue Harvest Fisheries announced on January 16 that Keith Decker has been hired as president and chief executive officer of the company. He succeeds retiring Jeff Davis, who while relinquishing command will continue to devote time to strategic initiatives in his capacity as chairman of the board of managers.
Established in 2015, Blue Harvest Fisheries is a harvester, processor and marketer of MSC-certified of Atlantic sea scallops, and a distributor of other premium frozen and fresh seafood products including cod, sole, tuna, swordfish, salmon and crab.
The company operates a fleet of 15 vessels, all of which bear the Blue Harvest name. The boats range from simple scallopers to combination vessels that also feature dragging, longline and purse seiner technology.
Keith DeckerDecker comes to Blue Harvest with more than 25 years of seafood business experience in North America. Most recently he served as the chief executive officer of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia-headquartered High Liner Foods from 2015-17, and from 2008-15 was president and chief operating officer of High Liner Foods (USA). During the 1997-2007 period he worked at Fishery Products International in a number of capacities, including sales and marketing.
“After playing an integral role in building Blue Harvest, it’s time to transfer the helm to the next generation of leadership,” said Davis. “I look forward to working on high impact strategic initiatives as the chairman of the board and serving as a resource to Keith and the rest of the Blue Harvest team.”
“I am excited about guiding Blue Harvest on its next phase of growth,” said Decker. “The company’s access to world class, wild caught sustainably harvested seafood is on-trend with what consumers want, and I believe that there are unique opportunities to better serve our customers.”
Blue Harvest Fisheries is owned by New York-headquartered Bregal Partners, a private equity firm with $600 million of committed capital funded by a sixth-generation family foundation with roots dating back to 1841. It is a unit of Bregal Investments, which has invested more than $12.5 billion globally since 2002.
