The investments in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia and Grand Bank, Newfoundland will add new jobs, processing capacity and spur continued sustainable growth of the fishery.
"Today's investment is good news for local jobs, domestic seafood processing capacity and those looking for the very finest wild-caught surf clams from Atlantic Canada," says Mr Smith. "With this investment, Clearwater will continue to expand the export market for wild-caught Canadian seafood and build on its global leadership in sustainable seafood excellence."
Arctic surf clams are very popular in sushi in Japan, China and South Korea, where they are known as hokkigai or bei gei bei. These new investments will enable Clearwater to better serve its traditional customer base while expanding distribution to new markets especially in Europe where sushi consumption is growing rapidly.
The announcement includes a C$2 million investment to establish clam processing capacity at Clearwater's Highland Fisheries facility in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. This investment will turn a seasonal crab plant in Cape Breton into a year-round seafood processing operation providing full time, year-round jobs for 36 people. There will also be opportunities for additional seasonal employment during the peak crab production season.
An additional investment of C$3.6 million will be made in Clearwater's existing Grand Bank, Newfoundland facility to increase grading and processing, improve infrastructure and expand production of additional value-added product formats. This facility will continue to be Clearwater's primary clam processing operation, with the Highland facility supporting the requirement for additional grading and packaging capacity.
You can find out more about Arctic Surf Clams by clicking here.
