Fredericton, N.B. – Glenn Cooke, Chief Executive Officer of Cooke Inc., a global seafood leader headquartered in New Brunswick, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by St. Thomas University during its Spring Convocation ceremony held on May 13, 2025.

The prestigious recognition was bestowed upon Cooke in front of graduates, families, faculty, staff, dignitaries, and other special guests. He expressed his profound gratitude to St. Thomas University President Farooqi and the university leadership for the honour, stating it was a privilege to receive such recognition from a respected institution in his home province. Cooke acknowledged the significance of the occasion and accepted the degree with deep appreciation and a sense of responsibility.

In his address to the graduating class, Cooke offered his congratulations, celebrating their commitment, resilience, and promising futures. He also commended St. Thomas University for the recent launch of its Business and Social Entrepreneurship program, hailing it as a bold and timely initiative that reflects the university's forward-thinking vision in a rapidly evolving business and societal landscape.

Cooke emphasized his long-held belief that truly sustainable businesses must extend beyond mere profitability, advocating for fiscal soundness, environmental responsibility, and social commitment as crucial pillars for thriving communities and a healthy planet.

IFFO’s Members’ Meeting, held on 13th and 14th May in Madrid, has just come to a close, with a record 267 delegates from 36 countries. Twenty-one speakers explored market trends and market drivers as well as the use of marine ingredients in animal farming and their role in human health.

Speakers highlighted aquaculture’s promising global perspectives for aquaculture: with a projected 22% growth by 2050, aquaculture will play a crucial role in maintaining aquatic animal consumption at current levels. “This expansion is not just necessary; it is achievable, thanks to the advancements in responsible practices and innovation. We now have tangible evidence that well-managed fisheries are delivering results. This is a testament to the effectiveness of science-based policies and industry collaboration”, Petter Martin, IFFO’s Director General, noted.

Presentations covered the growing efficiency in raw material use. Despite aquaculture’s rapid growth, it has not required increased volumes of fish from the ocean to produce fishmeal and fish oil. This is a direct result of the precision nutrition approach, where marine ingredients play a strategic role at key stages of fish growth, and which has become a cornerstone of aquafeed formulation.

With 40% of marine ingredients coming from fish by-products, the industry is looking at maximizing the value of marine resources and minimizing waste.

Key takeaways from IFFO’s Members’ Meeting are available on IFFO’s blog webpage.

The company's consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025 show a 4.7% increase in sales to ¥1,078.6 billion and a 14.5% surge in operating profit to ¥30.381 billion, marking the highest operating profit since business integration, fueled by a recovering tuna market and robust performance in food distribution and processed foods.

Click on the image to enlarge it

Maruha Nichiro (President: Ikemi Masaru) has announced its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2025, reporting a 4.7% year-on-year increase in sales to ¥1,078.631 billion and a significant 14.5% rise in operating profit to ¥30.381 billion. This operating profit figure surpasses ¥30 billion, representing the highest level achieved since the company's business integration. The strong performance of Fisheries Trading Co., Ltd., particularly due to the recovery of the tuna market, played a key role in these results.

During a financial results press conference held on the 12th, Managing Executive Officer Koseki Hitoshi elaborated on the record operating profit, stating, "Despite challenging conditions in marine resources, we successfully compensated for this through increased sales in food distribution and processed foods. Consequently, we exceeded the target set for the final year of our previous medium-term plan."

After U.S. President Donald Trump instituted new rounds of tariffs on Chinese goods starting early this year, Chinese customs authorities in the east coast city of Taizhou – a key seafood export hub – have pivoted to help local seafood firms increase their exports to Southeast Asia, the E.U., and the Middle East.

Though the trade war between the U.S. and China has temporarily cooled off, customs authorities made the move in order to help exporters diversify their buyer portfolios and combat future trade uncertainty.

Author: Mark Godfrey / SeafoodSource l Read the full article here

Land based salmon farmer AquaBounty Technologiessaw positive cash flow in the first quarter of this year – but this was largely thanks to the sell-off of key assets.

US-based AquaBounty’s net income for the quarter ended 31 March 2025 was $401,000 (£301,723) compared with a net loss of $11.3m (£8.5m) for the same quarter last year.

Included in net income 2025 was a non-cash gain of $2 million (£1.5m) on the forgiveness of an outstanding loan.

Author: Robert Outram / Fish Farmer l Read the full article here

Napier takes delivery of Tauroa, the world’s largest harvesting vessel.

Norwegian shipping company Napier has taken delivery of Tauroa, the first of two stun and bleed vessels ordered from Turkey’s Sefine Shipyard. The company described the vessel as a major milestone in its 30-year history and a new global benchmark for processing vessels in the aquaculture sector.

Tauroa has been developed in close cooperation with the customer and was designed by Salt Ship Design. At 70 meters in length, it is described as the world’s largest and most advanced vessel of its kind.

Source: SalmonBusiness l Read the full  article here

Salmon producer Scottish Sea Farms (SSF) increased its harvest volume and revenue in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year, but saw its operating profit fall by 44%, from NOK 138 million (£10m) to NOK 77m (£5.6m).

The figures are included in the Q1 2025 report and presentation by Lerøy Seafood Group, which co-owns SSF 50-50 with fellow Norwegian salmon farmer SalMar.

SSF’s Q1 harvest volume was 8,414 gutted weight 

Source: fishfarmingexpert l Read the full  article here