Canada gives Cooke $5.6m for hatcheries expansion
Cooke Aquaculture has received more than Can$5.6 million from the Canadian government to help it expand two hatcheries in New Brunswick and advance its salmon breeding programme.
The company said the investments will enable it to expand its Oak Bay hatchery where it will develop and implement advanced genomics technology, building on its salmon breeding expertise.
The government support will also help expand and modernise the company’s Johnson Lake hatchery facility.
Canada is investing Can$3m in the Johnson Lake expansion project through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Regional Economic Growth through Innovation programme, and Can$2,601,542 toward the Oak Bay hatchery expansion project through the Atlantic Innovation Fund.
The expansion projects are part of Cooke Aquaculture’s five-year plan to invest over Can$500 million in Atlantic Canada.
Consistent supply of eggs
“Our family purchased this hatchery (Oak Bay) 30 years ago, just a few years after establishing our first salmon farm in Kelly Cove,” said Cooke chief executive Glenn Cooke in a press release.
“We invested in a hatchery to ensure we’d have a consistent and independent supply of eggs and smolt. As the company has expanded across the region, so has our need to grow this supply. This facility has continued to play a very important part in our operations and our ability to grow healthy seafood in a safe and sustainable manner.”
Karen Ludwig, MP for New Brunswick Southwest, said Cooke had been leading the way in aquaculture and making an enormous contribution to the regional economy.
“These expansions will enable Cooke Aquaculture to build on its already vast expertise in salmon breeding and contribute to the development of advanced technology that will help fuel further growth and commercialisation, all while creating and maintaining highly-skilled jobs our region,” added Ludwig.
