St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada-based Ocean Choice International (OCI) on July 17 announced the sale of its Port au Choix shrimp processing facility to the Barry Group. Located on the western side of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula, the modern plant is adjacent to fishing grounds of the Esquiman Channel in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Closing of the transaction, terms of which were not disclosed, is subject to customary formalities and approvals. The buyer reportedly plans to begin operating the factory this month and continue processing throughout the season. The plant processes cooked and peeled shrimp destined for markets around the world.
Meanwhile, as quotas and catch rates for coldwater shrimp (Pandalus borealis) remain in decline in the Gulf and Northeast Coast of the Newfoundland region, the forecast is for further reduction in shrimp biomass. Since Ocean Choice started began operations at the Port au Choix facility in 2007, the decrease in quota available for processing has been over 150-million pounds.
“Due to shrinking resources, the shrimp industry has to consolidate — otherwise it will be extremely difficult to have any long-term sustainable operations,” according to a press release issued by Ocean Choice.
CEO Martin Sullivan stated: “While this is a difficult decision, we know it is best for the company, our people and the community, and we are confident that Barry Group will continue to operate the plant for many years to come.”
He added: “The people working at the plant, the shrimp harvesters in the area, and the town council and staff are among the best that we have had the opportunity to work with. Their drive and commitment to create a thriving, sustainable fishery will be missed, but we know they are in good hands with the Barry Group, which is a family-owned company that believes in an economically sustainable fishery for harvesters, processors and communities.”
Barry Group Chairman Bill Barry remarked: “We are pleased to expand our operations to the community of Port au Choix. Our business is based on the West Coast of the province, so it makes sense for us to expand into the area. We look forward to working with the employees and the community to grow the operations for years to come.”
About the Companies
Ocean Choice is a family-owned and operated Newfoundland and Labrador company that employs over 1,700 people from over 300 communities throughout the province. Operating five fish processing plants and five offshore fishing vessels, it sources seafood from over 1,900 independent fish harvesters across the province.
The Barry Group is a vertically integrated, fourth generation family business. Since the 1830’s, the company has exported high quality seafood to customers around the world.
