Global Seas Team

Bob Desautel is co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Global Seas and Nina Fisheries, Inc. In 1994, he co-founded Nina Fisheries, which rapidly expanded globally to Chile and Argentina four years later. In 2001, Desautel co-founded Global Seas, a subsidiary of Nina Fisheries, which quickly became one of the West Coast’s premier vessel management companies. Under Desautel’s direction, Global Seas expanded its business operations on the East Coast as co-owner of the seafood processing company Norpel and into the maritime research field as owner and operator of the R/V Mt. Mitchell.

In 1978, while studying business at the University of Nevada, Desautel began his career as a deckhand fishing in the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea. Taking quickly to the industry and advancing to Captain in 1980, he went on to serve as Captain of various fishing vessels until 2002, when he retired from the ocean to focus solely on the expansion of Global Seas.

Since making the transition from the wheelhouse, Desautel has worked tirelessly at promoting Wild Alaska Pollock and educating the public about the benefits and attributes of the fish. Desautel was instrumental in the re-formation of the Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers (GAPP 2.0) and now serves on the Board of Directors and Chairs the organization’s sustainability committee. As Chair, Desautel championed the industry’s first-ever Life Cycle Assessment to measure the fishery’s carbon footprint – bringing third-party scientific credibility to the notion that Wild Alaska Pollock has a lower environmental impact than practically any other protein source on the planet. Desautel is such an evangelist for the species that he has coined the phrase “Wild Alaska Pollock is good for you and good for the planet” and has served as a spokesperson for the fish and fishery—and its incredibly low carbon footprint—alongside GAPP CEO, appearing on Fox News, ABC News, and in multiple print publications including Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and Good News Network.

Desautel has served as President and Member of the Board of the North Pacific Fishing Vessel Owners’ Association, advocating safety education for the commercial fishing industry by providing information about USCG requirements, OSHA compliance standards, MARPOL, hands-on training programs, and safety seminars and workshops. In 1993, Desautel co-founded United Catcher Boats, served as a Member of the Board, and later as Vice President, all the while promoting the organization’s importance to the Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, and West Coast fisheries. His efforts serving on these Boards, as well as his involvement in other organizations, have improved safety and created efficiencies in the commercial fishing and maritime industries.

Bob resides and lives with his wife in Seattle, WA. Despite his dedication to growing Global Seas and his latest venture, Norpel, Bob continues to keep his United States Coast Guard (issue no.7) Masters 3000 ITC License current.