Multiple seafood companies in Canada's province of Nova Scotia have come to the aid of St. John, Nova Scotia-based Ocean Choice International after its trawler sank in March, leaving it unable to harvest its quota of scallops.
The company’s vessel, Atlantic Destiny, sank in March, with all 31 crew members aboard being rescued, the CBC reported. A fire caused the vessel to take on water, ultimately leading to it sinking after all the crew members were rescued.
The loss of the vessel left Ocean Choice without the ability to harvest millions of dollars worth of scallops. Ocean Choice CEO Martin Sullivan told the CBC that he reached out to other companies in the area, with four agreeing to come to OCI's aid.
"We had a discussion with each of them and we struck an arrangement where they would catch the scallops for us and then we'd have the scallops available for our customer base," Sullivan said.
The four fellow scallop license-holders – Clearwater Seafoods, Mersey Seafoods, Adams & Knickle, and LaHave Seafoods – are harvesting the scallops for Ocean Choice on undisclosed terms.
"Where it's a high-risk business, we always want to work together and help each other," Mersey Seafoods President Greg Simpson told the CBC. "And we do, especially the scallop industry. We absolutely work together to manage the stock and we want to be there for each other because … Next time it could be us.”
Photo courtesy of the Canadian Coast Guard
