WARRENTON, OREGON, US — Scoular, Da Yang Seafood and Bornstein Seafoods, celebrated the opening of their new joint venture fishmeal processing facility with a ribbon-cutting on Oct. 18.

The facility, the first of its kind to open in North America in at least 25 years, is located at the Port of Astoria’s Airport Industrial Park in Warrenton, Oregon, US.

The $17.5 million 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, an employee-owned global $9 billion agribusiness based in Omaha, Nebraska, US, is global fishmeal and fish oil supplier. 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 Paul Maass, chief executive officer of Scoular.

Andrew Bornstein, vice president of Bornstein Seafoods, said his company has long sought to utilize 100% of its seafood resources locally, and this facility will help with that goal.

“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,” Bornstein said.

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

The facility is the first tenant of the Port of Astoria’s Industrial Park and 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.

“This investment is a win for local business partners, the city of Warrenton, Clatsop County, the Port of Astoria, and the entire region,” said Will Isom, the port’s executive director. “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.”

Others speaking at the ribbon-cutting event were David Faith, chairman of the board for Scoular; Joe Andrus, senior vice president, Scoular; Chad Gauger, vice president and general manager, Scoular; and Mark Baldwin, Warrenton mayor pro tem.