A new fishmeal processing facility in this Pacific Northwest community is the first of its kind to open in North America in at least 25 years.
The facility’s owners – Scoular, Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods – celebrated with a ribbon-cutting event on Tuesday.
The facility is located at the Port of Astoria Airport Industrial Park.
Upcycling fish trimmings to process into fishmeal, fish oil
The facility will upcycle Da Yang and Bornstein fish trimmings from their nearby seafood processing plants.
The trimmings will be processed into fishmeal and fish oil, valuable ingredients in the pet food and aquaculture markets and both marketed under Scoular’s Encompass brand. Processing will begin in early 2023.
Scoular describes itself as among the world’s largest and most diverse fishmeal and fish oil suppliers. Growth in the aquaculture and pet food industries has increased the demand for fishmeal, which delivers highly digestible protein.
“Our new joint venture meets this demand through innovation and by bringing together two longtime local businesses with Scoular to create a sustainable protein ingredient for pet food and aquafeed,” said Scoular CEO Paul Maass.
“Bornstein Seafoods has long sought to utilize 100% of our seafood resources as locally as possible, and this new facility will allow us to do just that,” added Andrew Bornstein, vice president of Bornstein Seafoods.
“Partnering with Scoular and Da Yang Seafood to not only optimize our ocean resources, but also to reduce our need to ship these resources to distant markets is a big win for our local community. We are really excited to be partnering with these great companies on this project.”
Company opened fishmeal facility in Myanmar in March
Scoular has been involved in the fishmeal market for more than 20 years and provides fishmeal and fish oil solutions year-round, globally.
In March, Scoular opened a fishmeal facility in Myanmar to provide consistent product and just-in-time shipment to Asian feed markets.
The Myanmar facility is a key part of U.S.-based Scoular’s expanded presence in Asia, including an expanded regional headquarters in Singapore, soybean cleaning and distribution operations in Indonesia, and feedstuffs and grain distribution operations in Indonesia and Myanmar.
17.5 million facility in Oregon helps generate economic growth
The $17.5 million facility, the first tenant of the Port of Astoria’s Industrial Park, has helped to drive the park’s development.
The construction project alone has added $5.4 million into the local economy, according to contractor estimates.
"Scoular’s commitment to safety, integrity and upstanding business conduct are values shared here in our small town and align with the Port’s mission to generate economic growth in a safe and environmentally responsible manner," said Will Isom, the Port’s executive director.
Others speaking at the ribbon-cutting event were David Faith, Scoular chairman of the board; Joe Andrus, Scoular senior vice president; Chad Gauger, Scoular vice president and general manager; and Mark Baldwin, Warrenton Mayor Pro-Tem.
