Kelly Cove Salmon acquires Aqua Bounty Canada assets on Prince Edward Island

Kelly Cove Salmon (KCS), the Atlantic Canadian salmon farming division of Cooke Aquaculture, has acquired the defunct operations of Aqua Bounty Canada on Prince Edward Island.

Aqua Bounty was focused on land-based biotech farming and was best known for the development of its genetically engineered (GE) salmon, though Cooke said it does not farm or sell any GE seafood products and has no plans to do so with this acquisition.

KCS said it intends to produce large smolts for stocking its existing ocean salmon farming sites in Atlantic Canada.

The Aqua Bounty assets include a series of four buildings on Prince Edward Island including a hatchery facility with egg incubation and a laboratory in Bay Fortune.

Rollo Bay hosts another modern hatchery facility, a new large recirculating aquaculture facility (RAS) facility, and a second unfinished building intended to house another large RAS unit, which KCS said it aims to complete.

The operations will be run by KCS and the company has already rehired seven of Aqua Bounty’s former employees following the wind down of the Aqua Bounty hatchery announced in December 2024.

In addition to growing large smolts for its existing salmon farming sites in Atlantic Canada, KCS also plans to begin use of a new shipping route via wellboat at the Port of Souris, which offers offload and safe berthage for 15 transient fleets along with an icehouse, water and power services.