WARRENTON, ORE. — Scoular has partnered with Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods to build a new fishmeal processing facility, which will service the aquaculture and pet food industries. According to Scoular, the facility is the first of its kind to open in North America in 25 years.

Scoular, Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new facility on Oct. 18.

“Having an opportunity like this for Da Yang to partner with Scoular is a dream come true,” said Chih Wang, chief executive officer of Da Yang Seafood. “This is a really happy day for us.”

Located at the Port of Astoria’s Airport Industrial Park in Warrenton, the $17.5 million facility will upcycle fish trimmings from Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods’ processing plants. Scoular will process the trimmings into fishmeal and fish oil for use in pet food and aquaculture feed. The ingredients will be marketed under Scoular’s Encompass™ brand.

“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 Paul Maass, chief executive officer of Scoular.

The growth in the pet food and aquaculture industries, and a subsequent increase in demand for fishmeal, prompted Scoular to create the facility.

“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,” said 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.”

Facility operations are expected to begin in early 2023. According to contractor estimates, construction of the facility has already added $5.4 million into the local economy of Warrenton.

“The Port of Astoria welcomes this project to the Airport Industrial Park and Scoular to our community,” said Will Isom, executive director of the Port of Astoria. “This investment is a win for local business partners, the city of Warrenton, Clatsop County, the Port of Astoria and the entire region. 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.”

Scoular broke ground on the facility in August 2021. The project represented a $12 million investment and kicked off the joint venture with Da Yang Seafoods and Bornstein Seafoods.

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