Client News: True North Seafood Acquires Mariner Seafood

BLACKS HARBOUR, NB, CANADA – True North Seafood, Inc. (“True North”) the processing division and flagship brand of family owned New Brunswick company Cooke Inc. (“Cooke”), confirmed today they have acquired the business of Mariner Seafood, LLC (“Mariner”), headquartered in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

Mariner, an international fresh and frozen seafood company, specializes in processing a broad range of premium wild and farmed species including scallops, haddock, cod, salmon and shrimp. Mariner’s key branded products are GO WILD in the packaged case ready tray segment and MarSelect which is primarily a scallop brand. Since the company was founded in 2001, Mariner has put significant efforts into the retail space which has been supported by a loyal network of suppliers and U.S. and Canadian customers.

Mariner currently has a workforce of 170 and the company is capable of processing over 8,000 metric tons of seafood product between a 32,000 square foot headquarters and a 14,000 square foot salmon processing facility on the vibrant New Bedford working waterfront.

“We’re very pleased to welcome True North Seafood to New Bedford and we look forward to supporting Cooke’s continued growth as a global seafood leader,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “The Port of New Bedford serves as the city’s greatest natural resource and the economic engine of southeastern Massachusetts, stimulating investment, attracting new industry, and creating jobs. True North will be a welcome addition to the Port.”

“It has long been a dream of our family seafood company to have a presence in the number one value fishing port in the nation, New Bedford,” said Glenn Cooke, CEO of Cooke Inc. “We now have over 4,000 Cooke employees in 22 U.S. states and we will continue to invest and grow our New Bedford processing operations to supply our customers with healthy, top quality True North Seafood products.”

True North Seafood, Inc. was advised by the law firm Eaton Peabody. Mariner Seafood, LLC was advised by the investment bank Tully and Holland Inc. and the law firm Murphy & King.