Public Information Brief 2025: Exploring the controversies surrounding the world's largest private seafood company. https://www.noff.au/cooke-fact-check/
Cooke Seafood, owner of Cooke Aquaculture, is a transnational seafood giant with billions in revenue and operations in at least 14 countries as of 2025.
PR materials from their Saint John, New Brunswick headquarters project a family-friendly image with hand-written fonts and the slogan "We deliver the very best, from our family to yours".
Despite the friendly facade, Cooke Seafood's global operations are associated with a troubling history of lawsuits, scandal, and controversy.
Cooke Aquaculture was implicated in the illegal use of cypermethrin, a pesticide not authorized in Canada, resulting in over 1,000 lobster deaths in the Bay of Fundy. Charges were filed against three senior officials, including CEO Glenn Cooke, under the Canadian Fisheries Act. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/aquaculture-company-on-the-hook-for-500k-for-pesticide-use-1.1317105
A structural failure at Cooke's facility near Cypress Island led to the release of 243,000–263,000 non-native Atlantic salmon into Puget Sound. Investigations attributed the collapse to negligence, including poor maintenance and biofouling of nets. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/washingon-state-end-1.6652547​
Approximately 2.6 million salmon died at Cooke's subsidiary, Northern Harvest Sea Farms, due to prolonged high water temperatures and reduced oxygen levels, raising questions about the industry's ability to manage environmental risks associated with climate change. https://globalnews.ca/news/6025471/nl-company-salmon-deaths/
Washington State's DNR leveed a $332,000 fine and refused to renew Cooke's remaining leases for finfish net pen aquaculture, effectively ending its operations on state-owned aquatic lands. https://www.dnr.wa.gov/news/board-natural-resources-ends-open-sea-net-pen-salmon-farms-washington-waters
The Conservation Law Foundation filed a notice of intent to sue Cooke Aquaculture for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, including discharging pollutants like fish feces, dead fish, and trash into Maine's coastal waters. https://www.clf.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CLF-v.-Cooke-Notice-Letter.pdf
Cooke Aquaculture faced suspension of operations at its "Huillines 3" salmon farming center in Laguna San Rafael National Park for operating without proper environmental evaluations and exceeding authorized production limits by 6,300 percent. https://www.salmonbusiness.com/maximum-reached-cooke-chile-ordered-to-halt-farming-in-national-park/
Data from the Scottish Fish Health Inspectorate show nearly 15 million salmon mortalities reported by farms in Scotland from January to November 2022, compared with 8.58 million in all of 2021 and 5.81 million in 2020. Diseases include gill pox virus, lice infestation and head and skeletal inflammation. https://geographical.co.uk/wildlife/salmon-farm-threat-in-scotland
Escape of 80,000 artificially-raised salmon from Cooke Aquaculture Scotland in February 2023 due to human error. Increased scrutiny has provided disturbing underwater images of diseased salmon. https://theweek.com/culture-life/food-drink/the-dark-side-of-salmon-farming
Cooke Seafood company uses boats capable of pumping 10,000 fish at a time into a hydrogen peroxide bath, which kills most of the lice, although it also can stress and kill some fish. https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/sci-tech/article/any-lice-with-that-salmon-parasite-plagues-global-industry/
A recent lawsuit alleges that Cooke Seafood knowingly misled U.S. authorities about its foreign ownership by "falsely certifying compliance" and creating a shell company. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/cooke-us-lawsuit-foreign-ownership-fraud-menhaden-chesapeake-bay-1.7283112
In July 2021, a lawsuit challenged Cooke Aquaculture's claims that their salmon products are "sustainably farmed." A judge denied several motions to dismiss the lawsuit, allowing the case to proceed. https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/environmental_health/pdfs/Dkt-50_Order-denying-MtD.pdf
Investigators found as many as 263,000 of the farm's artificially-raised non-native fish escaped in Washington State, not the 160,000 Cooke told the public. Months after the spill, more than 200,000 of these fish were still reportedly unaccounted for. https://thenarwhal.ca/fish-farm-lowballed-number-escaped-atlantic-salmon-misled-regulator-report/
Cooke's operations in Canada have faced scrutiny over illegal pesticide use and mass die-offs of salmon, raising concerns about environmental impact and regulatory compliance.
In the U.S., Cooke has faced lease terminations, lawsuits over Clean Water Act violations, and controversies surrounding non-native species releases in Washington State.
Cooke's operations in Chile have been suspended due to environmental violations, including exceeding production limits by 6,300 percent in a national park.
In Scotland, Cooke has faced issues with salmon mortalities, disease outbreaks, and accidental releases, highlighting challenges in managing large-scale aquaculture operations.
Release of non-native species and pesticides
Discharge of fish waste and chemicals
Parasites and viruses affecting wild populations
Changes to local marine environments
Cooke Seafood's operations have been associated with various environmental impacts across their global operations, raising concerns about the sustainability of their practices and their effects on local ecosystems.
Charges filed against Cooke officials under Canadian Fisheries Act for illegal pesticide use.
Washington State investigates Cooke for negligence following mass fish escape.
Washington State DNR terminates Cooke's leases and issues $332,000 fine.
Chilean authorities suspend Cooke's operations in Laguna San Rafael National Park.
A 2021 lawsuit challenged Cooke Aquaculture's claims of "sustainably farmed" salmon, highlighting the growing scrutiny of the company's environmental practices.
The Conservation Law Foundation's 2024 lawsuit alleges violations of the Clean Water Act, accusing Cooke of discharging pollutants into Maine's coastal waters.
Recent allegations of misleading U.S. authorities about foreign ownership have further damaged public trust in the company's transparency and accountability.
Cooke Seafood has become the largest privately-owned seafood company in the world, with significant influence on global aquaculture practices.
The company's controversies have led to increased regulatory attention on the aquaculture industry as a whole.
Cooke's practices have fueled ongoing debates about the sustainability and environmental impact of large-scale aquaculture operations.
As the largest private seafood company in the world, Cooke Seafood's operations have far-reaching consequences for local communities, ecosystems, and the global aquaculture industry.
The company's history of environmental violations, regulatory challenges, and operational controversies in Canada, the United States, Latin America, and Scotland continues to raise significant concerns.
Local communities, public interest groups, and policymakers must remain vigilant and informed about the company's practices and their potential impacts on the environment and local economies.
Cooke Seafood: A Troubled Giant