Cooke Aquaculture Has Quietly Become the Largest Privately Owned Seafood Company in the World. 

 

This episode of the Insights Podcast features an exclusive and rare interview with Glenn Cooke, the driving force behind New Brunswick based Cooke Aquaculture, which through acquisitions around the world (14 major acquisitions since 2016 worth $2.5 billion) now has annual revenues of $4 billion and more than 13,000 employees, of which 2,500 are within Atlantic Canada. With operations in 14 countries, Cooke Aquaculture is a fully integrated seafood company with 800 vessels and 30 processing plants, as well as its own transportation, hatcheries and feed plants. And it all started in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick. Cooke uses a scientific based approach to fish farming and invests heavily in research and development efforts to improve production and environmental practices. It is clear that the regulatory environment within the region is holding back the expansion of the aquaculture sector in Atlantic Canada, especially with regard to the site approval process that can take years. The advent of offshore fish farming may help open up the industry in Canada.