February 2011 – American Fish and Seafood has completed its acquisition of San Diego based Chesapeake Seafood Co. According to AFS President, Jack King, the company will operate Chesapeake as a new division and will retain the Chesapeake name as a trade style or ”DBA.”

The combined business strengths of AFS and Chesapeake will result in more efficient operations, improved buying power, a large selection of seafood products and a wider distribution coverage area.

About Chesapeake Fish:
Chesapeake was founded by John Nicholas Vitalich, a Croatian fisherman who grew up in the village of Comisa on the Island of Vic, where he worked sardine boats on the Adriatic Sea. He came to San Diego in 1909 and bought the Coronado Fish Co. six years later. He changed the company's name, partially to reflect a major part of its business at the time - selling oysters from Chesapeake Bay. The idea was to have facilities as close to arriving fishing boats as possible to insure freshness and quality. The company was managed durring the 1930's by John Vitalich's son, Nick Sr., who's brother John took over after World War II. Nick Jr. took up the reins in 1970. Today it is a common sight to see boats pull up and unload their fresh catch, while on the backside local restauranteurs pick up their order. Chesapeake now handles more than 12 million pounds of fish a year.