US investment group Trilantic Capital is mulling the sale of its European seafood unit MWBrands.
The firm’s interests include UK brand John West, French business Petit Navire and Italian operations Mareblu.
The group also has seafood processing facilities in Ghana, The Seychelles, Douarnenez, France and Peniche, Portugal.
Turnover in its 2009-2010 financial year exceeded EUR450m (US$600.9m), with the main contributor being John West followed by Petit Navire.
UBS has been signed up to provide an advisory role in the operation, which could see a dual-track strategy employed where MWBrands is introduced on to the stock exchange while at the same time being put up for sale.
Trilantic bought the business from from HJ Heinz in 2006 for EUR425m.

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData