Seven years after promising reforms, Cooke Aquaculture's Maine salmon hatchery continues to brutalize fish while workers openly mock previous investigation and ignore food safety protocols

Our investigation documented:

• Systematic animal cruelty: Workers continuing to club fish to death — sometimes unsuccessfully, leaving animals writhing in agony for extended periods. In one incident, a fish thrashed for 43 seconds after the initial blow.
• Mocking accountability: The Hatchery Manager openly discussed the 2018 investigation, admitting "we did a lot of stuff that we weren't supposed to do." He talked about throwing fish like a basketball and yelling “Kobe,” boasting about how good he was. 
• Environmental violations: Workers ignoring containment protocols, increasing the probability that hatchery fish will escape into waterways where they threaten wild salmon populations by spreading disease and competing for resources.
• Contamination: Workers planning to use fish feed contaminated by rodents, with one stating: "Technically, should we use that feed? No. But are we going to? Yes!"
• Mass mortality events: Barrels full of dead fish and workers casually discussing die-offs, including one incident where approximately 25,000 to 30,000 fish died in a single tank.
• Failed oversight: Despite carrying "Best Aquaculture Practices" certification, the facility operates with what workers describe as prioritization of production over animal welfare.

Inhumane Slaughter Methods Continue

Despite having stunning equipment designed for more humane slaughter, workers routinely ignored it. "Back in the day we all used to walk around with a bat and if the fish jumped out or was still alive we just clubbed them and that was that," one worker explained.

The new footage shows:

• A fish being cut open while their heart was still visibly beating
• A worker kicking a fish, then striking them three more times with a metal bar over a 29-second period while the animal thrashed
• Multiple incidents of fish continuing to move for over a minute after being struck
• Workers placing live fish into garbage bags and dry barrels to slowly suffocate

Threats to Wild Salmon Populations

Beyond animal cruelty, workers admitted to ignoring containment protocols. "They have screens that are supposed to be down, but there's so much s**t in there that we pretty much just keep them up all the time," one worker explained.

Another employee described how fish "get out through the drum house" and "eventually make their way into the culverts there and right out" into the Kennebec River. The escape of farmed salmon into wild populations poses serious ecological risks, including disease transmission, genetic contamination, and competition for food and habitat — threats that are particularly concerning given Maine's efforts to restore wild Atlantic salmon populations.

Rodent Contamination and Unsanitary Conditions

The investigator documented feed bags torn open by rats and mice, creating conditions ripe for disease transmission. Another employee casually remarked about rodent infestations: "I mean, everywhere's got rats."

The unsanitary practices and overcrowding appear to have devastating consequences. The investigator filmed fish suffering from severe fungal infections eating away at their faces and documented unexplained mass mortality events. Workers speculated about various causes including oxygen deprivation, bacterial infections, and operational failures.

Workers Condemn Company Priorities

Workers expressed deep frustration with what they perceived as the company's prioritization of production over animal welfare.

"Unfortunately, I don't think the company is in it for the fish health side, they just want fish production," the Hatchery Manager was recorded as saying, adding that the facility's veterinarian had left because management ignored her recommendations.

Another worker criticized the disconnect between the company's public image and its practices: "For as family-orientated and churchgoing and all that the Cooke family seems to claim that they are, they do a lot of f****d up shit."

Industry Certification Fails to Prevent Abuse

Cooke Aquaculture markets its salmon under the "True North" brand, which is sold at major grocery stores throughout the northeastern United States, including Hannaford, and carries the "Best Aquaculture Practices" certification — an industry seal meant to assure consumers of responsible farming methods.

Expert Comment

Dr. Jena Questen DVM CertAqV, former president of the World Aquatic Veterinary Medical Association, reviewed our footage and concluded in an expert affidavit: "Based on the repeated inhumane treatment of fish depicted in the footage, carried out in full view of co-workers, it is my professional opinion that animal welfare guidelines at this facility are not adequately implemented, enforced, or supported through appropriate training and oversight. Absent such measures, it is my professional opinion that animals will continue to experience unnecessary and avoidable suffering until substantial corrective measures are implemented."

Animal Cruelty Complaint Filed with State Authorities

Following analysis of our undercover footage, Animal Outlook has filed a formal animal cruelty complaint with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry’s Animal Welfare Program, urging the agency to investigate the documented abuses and take appropriate enforcement action.

Act Now to Help These Animals 

• Contact Hannaford and urge them to drop True North salmon
• Share this investigation on social media
• Choose plant-based seafood alternatives that don't involve animal suffering
• Support our work to expose aquaculture cruelty