Cooke Produces Local, Sustainable Seafood, And Supports N.S. Communties
When you walk into a Nova Scotia grocery store and buy a pack of True North Seafood Atlantic salmon or salmon burgers, you’re getting fresh local seafood and supporting the livelihoods of members of your community.
“You’re buying local – and it doesn’t get any more local than Atlantic salmon from Atlantic Canada,” says Joel Richardson, Vice-President of Public Relations at Cooke Aquaculture.
True North Seafood is just one of many Cooke operations in Nova Scotia.
The company has 14 marine salmon farming sites along the province’s Southern and Western shores. It also operates freshwater hatcheries. Cooke’s salmon feed is made in Truro at one of its companies, Northeast Nutrition, which recently underwent a major upgrade and expansion.
“Northeast Nutrition manufactures specially formulated salmon feed with ingredients that include proteins and fats from marine, plant and animal sources as well as grains, minerals and vitamins. This allows us to produce healthy fish for our customers,” says Richardson. “All feed ingredients are safe, Canadian Food Inspection Agency approved and the fishmeal and fish oil used is from sustainably certified fisheries.”
Cooke also has the A.C. Covert distribution center and True North Seafood retail outlet at 390 Higney Avenue in Dartmouth.
“It purchases and distributes seafood products from over 30 different Nova Scotian fisheries and aquaculture companies to grocery stores and restaurants, tourism accommodations and other foodservice providers,” says Richardson.
More than 200 employed province-wide
Cooke employs more than 200 people across all its Nova Scotia operations, many based in smaller, rural communities in the province.
The company is family-owned and started 36 years ago in the coastal village of Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick. It knows its businesses and employees are critical to the economies of the small communities in which they operate.
Not only do they provide full-time, year-round jobs for people who spend money on local goods and services, but Cooke operations also support more than 300 local suppliers throughout the province.
“We purchase millions of dollars worth of goods and services every year from small and medium-sized local Nova Scotian businesses,” says Richardson.
He cites the A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. boatyard in Meteghan River, which is a key part of Cooke’s supply chain in Nova Scotia.
“They do a lot of service and refit work on our vessels and other marine farming equipment that we use on a day-to-day basis. The tradespersons in Digby County and the region are top notch,” he says.
Cooke also works with traditional lobster and shellfish operators in the province.
“As a salmon farming company, we work alongside fishing industries and support their efforts. We all work together to build strong working waterfronts to support our families and communities through seafood harvesting,” says Richardson.
Diverse workforce
Cooke’s Nova Scotia workforce is a mix of age ranges from a variety of backgrounds. Some have worked in the company for decades, while others are young people fresh out of post-secondary institutions, excited about choosing their first career in the aquaculture sector.
“Many of our people are mothers and fathers with children going to school. They’re participating in their local service clubs and volunteering and working with us on a daily basis,” says Richardson.
“We also hire young people from the Nova Scotia Community College and Agricultural College, and from universities like Dalhousie that have active aquaculture and science programming. Our job opportunities are available at MyCookeCareer.com.”
The company is also a big proponent of hiring newcomers to the province.
“We’re always on the lookout for new recruits and that includes welcoming immigrants who have come to Nova Scotia from other countries,” says Richardson. “As a family business, caring for our people and the communities we work in is a top priority for Cooke and we extend this to our newcomers.”
Focus on sustainability
Like other ocean-related businesses, Cooke adheres to provincial and federal regulations in its operations. It also participates in auditing through third-party certification organizations.
“It’s very important to have that validation that our practices are sound, and that we’re operating in a sustainable fashion,” says Richardson.
Several of Cooke’s salmon farming sites have had licenses and leases renewed by government regulators after years of scientific review, recognizing their strong environmental performance and best aquaculture practices.
Though it takes care to follow provincial and federal regulations and have its practices independently audited, Cooke still actively engages in education and dialogue in communities where they operate.
The company has Community Liaison Committees, particularly around the southern and western shores, that create open lines of communication.
“Our committees are made up of individuals from the local community, including the local mayor, warden or a councillor, as well as other stakeholders, like representatives from a local chamber of commerce or board of trade, and other citizens,” says Richardson.
“They provide useful information and ideas back to us. We also send information, through the committees, out to the community about our operations. We want them to have a good understanding of what we’re doing in their area on an ongoing basis.”
Cooke’s operations in the province are still relatively modest. It aims to grow its salmon farming going forward but plans to do that in a methodical, sustainable way.
“There is room for growth in Nova Scotia, but we are taking a very thoughtful approach,” he says.
“We’ve really taken the time to think through the sustainability and the environmental considerations in collaboration with regulators, scientists, engineers and other technical experts, as well as what the market can support in terms of reasonable, sustainable growth.”
This story is sponsored by Cooke Aquaculture.