Gorton's of Gloucester
An American seafood company and frozen-seafood brand headquartered in Gloucester, Massachusetts, known especially for fish sticks and other prepared fish products.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Gorton's of Gloucester is an American seafood processing company and consumer brand rooted in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Its documented corporate history begins in 1849 with the formation of John Pew & Sons, although the area's fishing and fish-trading traditions, including the Pew family's activity, extend further back. A separate business founded by Slade Gorton in 1874 later became central to the company's identity. Gorton began by packing and selling salted cod and mackerel, helping establish a commercial seafood operation associated with Gloucester's port economy. In 1906, Slade Gorton & Company, John Pew & Sons, and two other local fisheries combined to form Gorton-Pew Fisheries. The company developed a strong New England reputation for codfish cakes and other preserved seafood. Its visual identity also became unusually distinctive: in 1905, it adopted a trademark depicting a fisherman at the wheel of a schooner. The figure, later known as the Gorton's Fisherman, remains the brand's best-known symbol. Gorton's moved into fish freezing during the early 1930s, a transition that shifted the business from traditional salted and dried seafood toward modern retail distribution. In 1949, it publicized an early long-distance refrigerated shipment of frozen fish from Gloucester to San Francisco. Four years later, it introduced a frozen ready-to-cook fish stick, a product that helped make prepared seafood more convenient for American households and received the Parents magazine Seal of Approval. Fish sticks remain the brand's signature offering, alongside breaded fillets, fish portions, grilled and baked products, shrimp, and other frozen seafood categories. The company changed names as its business evolved. Gorton-Pew Fisheries became Gorton's of Gloucester in 1957 and The Gorton Corporation in 1965; consumer-facing usage was subsequently shortened to Gorton's. General Mills acquired the company in 1968. Unilever purchased it from General Mills in 1995, and in 2001 Unilever sold Gorton's and BlueWater Seafoods to Nippon Suisan (now Nissui) for $175 million in cash. Gorton's therefore operates as part of a larger seafood group rather than as an independent publicly listed company. In addition to retail products sold under the Gorton's name, the business has had North American food-service activities supplying prepared seafood to restaurant customers, including fast-food chains, as well as an industrial operation involving coating ingredients. The brand's primary consumer positioning is built around accessible, convenient seafood, recognizable packaging, and the heritage associated with Gloucester's fishing industry. Its products are designed to make fish preparation simpler through frozen, portioned, breaded, or otherwise ready-to-cook formats. Gorton's public history has also included environmental scrutiny connected to the whaling policy of its parent company, Nissui. In 2005, environmental and animal-rights organizations urged Gorton's to use its influence with Nissui to end support for whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. In 2006, the campaign reported that Gorton's, fellow seafood company Sealord, and Nissui had withdrawn active support for Japanese whaling. This episode is part of the brand's corporate and reputational history, although it did not end the brand's seafood operations. Gorton's remains associated primarily with the U.S. frozen-seafood market and continues to be headquartered in Gloucester.
History
Gorton's traces its formal corporate history to John Pew & Sons, established in Gloucester in 1849. The Pew family's connection to fishing preceded that date: William Pew, after military service during the colonial era, settled in Gloucester and pursued fishing. The company's later identity was shaped by Slade Gorton, who entered the fishing business in 1874 after losing his position at the Annisquam Cotton Mill in nearby Rockport. Slade Gorton & Company packed and sold salt codfish and mackerel in small kegs and became associated with early barrel packaging for salt-dried fish. The business expanded its product identity at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1899, it patented the Original Gorton Fish Cake. In 1905, it adopted a trademark showing a fisherman steering a schooner. This image became the Gorton's Fisherman, one of the most recognizable symbols in the American frozen-food sector. In 1906, Slade Gorton & Company and John Pew & Sons merged with two other Gloucester fisheries to create Gorton-Pew Fisheries. Codfish cakes helped the combined business build household recognition throughout New England. During the early 1930s, Gorton-Pew entered fish freezing, aligning the company with the growth of mechanical refrigeration and packaged retail food. A 1949 refrigerated-truck shipment from Gloucester to San Francisco demonstrated the possibilities of nationwide frozen-seafood distribution. In 1953, the company introduced a frozen ready-to-cook fish stick. The product helped translate seafood from a preparation-intensive food into a convenient family meal and received the Parents magazine Seal of Approval. The company's corporate name changed as its operations modernized. Gorton-Pew Fisheries became Gorton's of Gloucester in 1957 and The Gorton Corporation in 1965, while the consumer brand later became commonly known simply as Gorton's. General Mills acquired the company in 1968. In May 1995, Unilever bought Gorton's from General Mills. In August 2001, Unilever sold Gorton's and BlueWater Seafoods to Nippon Suisan (USA), a subsidiary of Nippon Suisan Kaisha, for $175 million in cash. Nippon Suisan is now known as Nissui, and Gorton's operates within that Japanese seafood group. The business has developed beyond supermarket products. Its North American food-service operations have supplied seafood to restaurant businesses, including fast-food customers such as McDonald's, while an industrial operation has handled coating ingredients. Nevertheless, the retail brand remains principally identified with frozen fish sticks, breaded fish, seafood portions, and other convenient frozen products. Its brand strategy combines a regional maritime heritage, the enduring Fisherman mascot, and the promise of easy preparation. Gorton's also faced reputational pressure in the mid-2000s because of its parent's reported connection to Japanese whaling. In late 2005, the Environmental Investigation Agency, the Humane Society of the United States, and Greenpeace organized a campaign asking Gorton's to persuade Nissui to end whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. In 2006, the campaign groups said that Gorton's, Sealord, and Nissui had withdrawn active support for Japanese whaling. The episode remains a notable environmental controversy in the brand's history. Judson Reis led the company as president and CEO from 2009 until his retirement effective January 1, 2020, when Kurt Hogan succeeded him. Gorton's continues to be associated with Gloucester and the U.S. frozen-seafood market.
- 2020
Kurt Hogan succeeded Judson Reis
[1]Kurt Hogan became president and CEO after Judson Reis retired effective January 1.
- 2001
Sale to Nippon Suisan
[1]Unilever sold Gorton's and BlueWater Seafoods to Nippon Suisan (USA), now part of Nissui.
- 1995
Unilever acquisition
[1]Unilever acquired Gorton's from General Mills.
- 1968
General Mills acquisition
[1]Gorton's merged with General Mills and became a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 1957
Name changed to Gorton's of Gloucester
[1]Gorton-Pew Fisheries adopted the Gorton's of Gloucester name.
- 1953
Frozen fish stick introduced
[1]The company became an early producer of frozen ready-to-cook fish sticks, a product that received the Parents magazine Seal of Approval.
- 1949
Long-distance refrigerated shipment
[1]Gorton-Pew sent a refrigerated truckload of frozen fish from Gloucester to San Francisco, demonstrating nationwide distribution capability.
- 1930
Entry into fish freezing
[1]The company entered the frozen-fish business during the early 1930s.
- 1906
Local fisheries merged into Gorton-Pew Fisheries
[1]Slade Gorton & Company, John Pew & Sons, and two other Gloucester fisheries combined their operations.
- 1905
The Fisherman trademark was adopted
[1]The company introduced the fisherman-at-the-wheel trademark that became known as the Gorton's Fisherman.
Products and positioning
A traditional, accessible, and convenience-oriented American seafood brand that connects Gloucester fishing heritage with frozen, ready-to-cook products. Convenient, accessible frozen seafood for home cooking, with emphasis on prepared products and easy meal preparation.
Frozen prepared seafood · 1953
Fish sticks
Gorton's fish sticks are the brand's signature retail category. The company introduced a frozen ready-to-cook fish stick in 1953, helping popularize portioned, breaded seafood as a convenient household meal. The line represents the brand's combination of frozen distribution, simple preparation, and family-oriented seafood positioning. Portioned, prepared frozen fish products associated with the brand's convenient family-meal positioning. They are designed for straightforward household cooking and represent one of the most recognizable product formats linked with Gorton's.
Frozen prepared seafood
Breaded fish fillets and portions
Breaded fillets and portioned fish products extend the brand's core proposition beyond fish sticks. They are designed for oven or other convenient preparation and use coatings to provide a familiar texture while keeping seafood preparation straightforward for retail consumers. Frozen fish portions with a prepared or breaded format intended to make seafood easier to cook at home. The format extends the brand's convenience proposition beyond small fish sticks to larger meal portions.
Frozen seafood
Frozen seafood meals and specialty seafood
Gorton's retail portfolio has included a broader range of frozen seafood products, including fish portions, prepared seafood meals, and shrimp. These products support the brand's role as a convenient supermarket seafood provider rather than a company focused only on one fish-stick format.
Food service
Food-service seafood
The company has a North American food-service business serving restaurant customers, including fast-food operators. This business adapts the company's seafood processing and coating capabilities for institutional and restaurant use rather than direct household retail.
Industrial food ingredients
Industrial coating ingredients
In addition to branded consumer products and food-service offerings, Gorton's has operated an industrial business involving coating ingredients. This activity reflects the company's broader processing capabilities and is distinct from the products sold under the main retail brand.
Frozen seafood
Seafood fillets
Frozen seafood fillets intended for household meal preparation. The available reference material identifies fillets as part of the brand's offering but does not provide a complete list of species, recipes, packaging formats, or current product variants.
Frozen seafood
Frozen shrimp
Frozen shrimp products that broaden the brand's assortment beyond finfish. Specific preparation styles, sourcing information, and product variants are not established by the supplied references.
Controversies
2005
Controversy over parent-company whaling activities
Environmental and animal-rights organizations criticized Gorton's because of the reported relationship between its parent company, Nissui, and Japanese whaling. The campaign asked Gorton's to use its corporate influence to oppose whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Marketing campaigns
- 2005MasterCard Icons
United States
The Gorton's Fisherman appeared among recognizable advertising mascots in MasterCard's Icons commercial broadcast during Super Bowl XXXIX. The placement treated the mascot as a familiar piece of American brand culture.
Outcome. Expanded visibility for the Gorton's Fisherman through a high-profile co-branded advertising appearance.
- 2005Whaling pressure campaign
United States · Japan · International
The Environmental Investigation Agency, HSUS, and Greenpeace called on Gorton's to press parent company Nissui to end hunting of whales in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary.
Outcome. Campaign groups stated in 2006 that Gorton's, Sealord, and Nissui had withdrawn active support for Japanese whaling.
Brand decisions
2001
Sale from Unilever to Nippon SuisanM&ABackground
Unilever divested Gorton's and BlueWater Seafoods as part of a seafood-business transaction.
Action taken
Nippon Suisan (USA), a subsidiary of Nippon Suisan Kaisha, acquired the two seafood businesses for $175 million in cash.
Aftermath
Gorton's became part of the Japanese seafood group now known as Nissui.
Cash acquisition price. $175 million (August 2001)
1953
Launch of frozen ready-to-cook fish sticksProduct launchBackground
After entering fish freezing during the early 1930s, Gorton-Pew pursued a convenient retail format that could be prepared at home.
Action taken
Introduced a frozen ready-to-cook fish stick product.
Aftermath
Fish sticks became the company's defining consumer product category and a major part of its American brand identity.
Sources2 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/gortons-of-gloucester · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled