Cooke Aquaculture acquires Virginia scallop supplier

Cooke Aquaculture, one of Canada’s leading farmed salmon producers based in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick, on Friday announced that it acquired Wanchese Fish Co. of Suffolk, Va.

The move represents a move into the wild-capture side of the seafood supply chain for Cooke. The business will be renamed Cooke Seafood USA.

“This purchase is an exciting venture for us as we add a well-respected, family-owned and vertically integrated fishing company to our family’s businesses,” said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Seafood USA. “We have found many similarities in our corporate cultures, not only a strong focus on family values but also on investment in a well-managed and third-party certified fisheries — investments that are core to our family’s business philosophy.”

Wanchese is a supplier of scallops, flounder and other seafood products. It operates 15 fishing vessels with at-sea processing capabilities.

“When my grandfather started Wanchese Fish Company in 1936, he never imagined his grandchildren would harvest and distribute seafood on a global level,” says Sam Daniels, president of Wanchese Fish Co. “The Lord has blessed us tremendously and we believe this deal with the Cooke family, another company built on trust and commitment to quality, will strengthen our company, provide stability for our employees, and enhance the product offerings to our customers.”