Cooke Aquaculture is under investigation after an animal rights group filed formal complaints accusing it of committing animal welfare violations at its Bingham, Maine, U.S.A-based aquaculture facilities.
Animal Outlook claimed it found evidence of Cooke Aquaculture employees committing animal welfare violations in an undercover investigation. The claims included video footage that the organization said shows workers clubbing fish, along with what Animal Outlook described as food safety and environmental protocol violations.
"If this is what passes for the aquaculture industry's best practices, it proves beyond doubt that industrial fish farming cannot regulate itself,” Animal Outlook Executive Director Ben Williamson said in a release.
The facility in Bingham is the same one that Animal Outlook – which at the time was named Compassion over Killing – investigated in 2019, and the organization submitted similar video evidence and claims to the Maine Department of Agriculture in October 2019. That submission resulted in an investigation from both the Maine Department of Agriculture’s Animal Welfare Division and from the Global Aquaculture Association – now named Global Seafood Alliance. Both of those investigations were concluded in November 2019, with the department saying there was improper behavior by hatchery staff that was addressed by the company, and the facility also retained its Best Aquaculture Practices certification following an audit.
Animal Outlook claims the issues it found in the first investigation persist.
"We returned to this facility years later hoping to find meaningful change. Instead, we found the same callous disregard for animal welfare, the same dangerous shortcuts, and the same workers openly mocking the very idea of accountability,” Williamson said. “We've now asked Maine authorities to hold Cooke Aquaculture accountable for this documented cruelty. The labels on packages of farmed salmon conceal an ugly truth that consumers deserve to know."
Maine Department of Agriculture spokesperson Jim Britt confirmed to SeafoodSource that the department is conducting an animal welfare investigation on the facility, “as required under Maine’s cruelty-to-animals statutes.” A spokesperson for the GSA also confirmed that the organization’s program integrity team is “currently investigating the facility.”
Cooke USA, in a statement, said it is aware of the allegations from Animal Outlook.
“The allegations originate from hidden camera video footage recorded by the activist veganism organization,” Cooke USA said. “Cooke USA takes animal welfare very seriously. Cooke senior management is currently working with colleagues in Maine to thoroughly review the footage to confirm its validity, to address allegations stemming from footage with hatchery staff, and to ensure that the company’s practices are compliant.”
In 2019, SeafoodSource revealed Compassion over Killing, which eventually became Animal Outlook, was tied to VegInvest Trust, an investment fund backing seafood analog companies.
With the latest accusation by Animal Outlook, the organization is calling on retailers to stop stocking the products and Cooke’s “True North” salmon brand.
“Animal Outlook is calling on Hannaford and other retailers carrying True North salmon to drop the product and is urging consumers to stop supporting an industry that hides systemic cruelty behind misleading certifications,” Animal Outlook said. “The organization is also calling for stronger regulatory oversight of aquaculture facilities and meaningful consequences for facilities that violate protocols.”
