Cooke chief welcomes Trump bid to boost US fish farming

“I am very pleased President Trump has recognised that domestic farmed production of aquaculture seafood is vital to help correct the severe trade imbalance and strengthen local food security,” said the Canadian, whose company must cease salmon farming in Washington state after legislators there voted to phase it out.

“This should be viewed as a call to State and local governments that the country is in dire need of domestically produced seafood protein and that they should find ways to support, promote, and expand this essential food sector as other countries have.

Thousands of jobs

“As a family company, with marine fish farming operations in Maine and Washington and shellfish farming in North Carolina, and wild fisheries in other states including Virginia, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alaska, we are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication that our people put in every day to produce healthy seafood meals for families across the USA. 

“Cooke Aquaculture USA in Maine was very proud to have been chosen as the supplier of sustainably farmed Atlantic salmon for the President’s 2017 inauguration. 

“Our strong operations have shown that aquaculture presents a tremendous opportunity to create thousands of jobs and build vibrant working waterfronts co-existing with traditional fisheries in rural coastal communities.

“President Trump and his Executive Agencies are to be commended for their leadership to address the regulatory challenges with establishing seafood farms by revising the National Aquaculture Development Plan and implementing a Nationwide Permit authorising finfish, seaweed or multi-trophic culture in federal marine waters.”