The groundbreaking video takes you beneath the surface of fish factory farming and reveals putrid conditions, rampant disease and widespread cruelty to fish intensively crowded in barren tanks.

The plight of fish often goes unseen and unheard, but our new exposé brings to light the dire lack of protection for millions of animals raised for food.

In light of climate change and environmental threats, many people are rightly worried about our oceans. Our investigation reveals the cost of the massive demand for fish: Extreme factory farming. Working inside Cooke Aquaculture, our investigator witnessed shocking conditions with consequences for both farmed fish and consumers.

Update: In April 2022, the judge in our lawsuit wrote that the cruelty we described was "grotesque and reprehensible," though she dismissed the case for procedural reasons.

Key Date: Court rejects Cooke’s attempts to dismiss lawsuit on June 24, 2021

Cooke filed four separate motions trying to escape the lawsuit Animal Outlook filed against it in 2020, but on June 24, 2021, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia ruled against Cooke on all four motions. Our lawsuit, which aims to stop Cooke from continuing to mislead and deceive consumers into purchasing its products, is now proceeding toward trial.

Key Date: Lawsuit filed on June 28, 2020

On June 28, 2020, Animal Outlook, represented by the Richman Law Group, filed a lawsuit against Cooke Aquaculture for misleading and deceptive advertising in violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection and Procedures Act. The lawsuit alleges that Cooke’s advertisements that its practices are “sustainable” and “ecologically sound,” and that its salmon are “naturally raised” under “optimal” animal welfare standards constitute false advertising.

Cooke filed four separate motions trying to kill the case, but the court ruled against it on every one. On June 24, 2021, the Superior Court of the District of Columbia denied all four motions, and the case is now proceeding toward trial.

The lawsuit follows the 2019 release of Animal Outlook’s investigation into Cooke Aquaculture’s salmon hatchery in Bingham, Maine, the first-ever undercover investigation of salmon aquaculture in the United States. Our investigation revealed conditions far from “sustainable” or “natural,” including workers slamming, stomping, and slamming fish into concrete; improper veterinary practices; and filthy conditions, including fish with spinal deformities and fungal growths.

Our investigation is far from the first time Cooke has found itself in legal trouble for its irresponsible aquaculture practices which directly contradict its advertising claims. Fines and settlements totaling millions of dollars for violations of laws across multiple states, including the catastrophic release of 250,000 non-native salmon in Washington state, numerous permit violations in Maine and the illegal discharge of pollutants in multiple locations, have plagued Cooke over the past few years.

Cooke’s industrial aquaculture practices are a far cry from the wholesome, responsible image of “sustainable farming” that it actively portrays. Our lawsuit aims to stop Cooke from continuing to mislead and deceive consumers into purchasing its products.

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