True North Seafood acquires bankrupt company Mariner Seafood

Cooke Aquaculture (Cooke) processing division True North Seafood has acquired the business of the bankrupt film Mariner Seafood after a judge approved the sale last week.

Established in 2001, Mariner is a fresh and frozen seafood company.

Headquartered in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Mariner processes a wide range of premia wild and farmed species such as scallops, haddock, cod, salmon and shrimp.

Mariner products are available under brands, including the GO WILD packaged case-ready tray and MarSelect scallop brand.

With 170 employees, Mariner processes more than 8,000mt of seafood at its 32,000ft² facility at its headquarters and 14,000ft² salmon processing facility in New Bedford.

Cooke CEO Glenn Cooke said: “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.

“We now have over 4,000 Cooke employees in 22 US 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.”

On this deal, True North Seafood was advised by the law firm Eaton Peabody, while Mariner was advised by the Tully and Holland investment bank and law firm Murphy & King.

New Bedford mayor Jon Mitchell said: “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.

“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.”