Meridian Salmon to become Cooke Aquaculture Scotland

“We believe this investment in the well respected Scottish industry creates value for our

entire group and strengthens our European foothold, which already includes Culmarex, our sea

bass and bream farming company in Spain,” said CEO Glenn Cooke.

“The company is highly profitable and is a cost effective producer with a dedicated management

team and employee base. We will build on their experience and expertise as we further

strengthen and grow this company as Cooke Aquaculture Scotland.

“We are fortunate that there are many similarities between our corporate cultures and the high

environmental standard of our farming operations. Members of the Cooke team will work

together with our highly qualified management in Scotland to develop an operational and

marketing strategy for the future. It will be business as usual during this transition period,” he said.

This transaction is consistent with Cooke Aquaculture’s focus on vertical integration and

diversification in terms of geography, products and markets. Cooke’s strategy has been to

achieve growth through acquisitions and organic growth that is both sustainable and responsibly

managed to meet a growing market demand for healthy, fresh seafood.

Cooke Aquaculture Inc. is a Canadian family-owned company with a head office in Black’s

Harbour New Brunswick Canada and North American salmon farming operations in Atlantic

Canada and Maine. It also owns Salmones Cupquelan, a salmon farming company in southern

Chile and Culmarex, a sea bass and sea bream farming company in southern Spain. Over the past

twenty-eight years Glenn Cooke and his family have built a fully integrated aquaculture

company, which will have nearly a billion dollars in annual sales and 2500 employees in 2014.