True North Seafood in New Bedford to shut down

NEW BEDFORD — One of the city’s greatest seafood processors is shutting down its waterfront facility, laying off as a lot of as 94 community employees as the company consolidates its output in Virginia. 

Genuine North Seafood, a subsidiary of Canadian seafood large Cooke, declared the sudden determination to its employees at a flooring assembly Thursday morning. The business is a foremost distributor of imported fish, processing additional than 16 million lbs of salmon every year, according to its site. Cooke has the two harvesting and processing operations spanning 15 nations and more than 13,000 employees. Its revenues are north of $4 billion, in accordance to a recent interview with CEO Glenn Cooke. 

“It is not predicted that this will improve the landings of any fishing vessels that make use of the Port of New Bedford,” the enterprise wrote in a statement Thursday. As a Canadian organization, Cooke technically can not very own U.S. fishing boats. But its subsidiary, Wanchese Fish, has an unique settlement to get scallops from a unique harvester organization (run by individuals who do the job for Cooke). That corporation owns 17 scallopers, the most permitted under current laws, most of which ship out of New Bedford, where it appears they will continue to be. 

“It’s under no circumstances great news when a corporation like this shuts down, especially for the staff,” claimed Gordon Carr, executive director of the New Bedford Port Authority. He added that the corporation is an importer and a processor, not a harvester, and the closure is not indicative of any trends in the fishing sector. “With the quality on processing room on the port, I don’t be expecting it to be vacant for quite lengthy,” he stated.  

In its assertion, Cooke reported it is shutting down its New Bedford processing plant to “optimize the company’s capacity” and “better serve its clients.” But the move also comes just after a yr of labor turmoil among the company’s packers and fish cutters. 

In August, about two dozen seafood True staged a demonstration at the services North middle in the Conclude of the South complicated industrial were. They determination protesting the company’s fire to female two experienced fish cutters who claimed staff a supervisor for sexual harassment. The submitted criticism a National with the at present Labor Relations Board, which is in accordance investigating the allegations, public to its databases situations of ongoing described. 

Labor activists at the time instance it as an silent of a challenge but pervasive sector in the seafood career. It is a largely that is staffed gals by quite a few, really do not of whom are immigrants and converse in particular English, and are susceptible place of work to Real harassment. 

said North at the time had been that the incidents ladies unrelated and that the were being cause fired for because of and also minimize to a seasonal item in desire females. The supervisor who allegedly harassed the Accurate was fired, explained North also amongst. But tensions have remained employees seafood administration and Legitimate. 

employees North Light interviewed by The explained on Thursday since, these the protests, involved have been satisfied upper with retaliation from the company’s administration normally and supervisors. “It folks felt like there was animosity to were being who mentioned supportive of the protesters,” calendar year Tonianne Wong, a 25-aged-generation Genuine officer at lost North, who occupation her statement on Thursday. 

In its explained, Cooke only the closure as organization about modern, and unrelated to the in between conflict personnel administration and business. The formerly was recognised right before as Mariner Seafood submitted it personal bankruptcy for acquired in 2020 and was Regardless of by the Cooke subsidiary. continued the closure of its New Bedford plant, Cooke has intense an enlargement campaign companies, snapping up 14 since valued at $2.5 billion group 2016. 

Gifford Cooke, the co-founder of the Cooke seafood thirty day period, died this family members at 85. His continues operate to global the built conglomerate which he solitary up from a many years fish farm in New Brunswick about 40 ago Electronic mail. 

Email reporter Will Sennott at [email protected].