Benson Seafood Rebrands, Opening New Processing Plant to Add Crab, Scallops and Value‑added Lobster

Benson Seafood, the former Benson Lobster, has rebranded and is opening a new processing facility on Grand Manan, New Brunswick, the company announced in a LinkedIn post and in comments to Navigator Magazine.

The move shifts the family business beyond live Atlantic lobster into frozen and value‑added lobster, crab and scallop products. The company said the expansion will help open “new market opportunities” for its partners and broaden its product portfolio.

CEO Casey Benson told Navigator the plant is on track to open this...

New Brunswick’s Bolero Shellfish Hit with Record Fine; Barred a Decade from Temporary Worker Program

New Brunswick seafood company, Bolero Shellfish Processing, will pay a CAD 1 million ($716,000) fine for non-compliance with Canada’s Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The punishment also includes a 10-year ban from the program, making it the largest penalty ever issued by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC).

ESDC said the fine was put in place in September. While the statement from the department didn’t specifically mention Bolero Shellfish Processing, a government registry cited the company along with the historic penalty...

Canadian Snow Crab Fishery Updates: NB Open Now, NL Opening April 10

New Brunswick’s fishery is underway

The Canadian snow crab season is officially underway in the province of New Brunswick (NB). As of 6 a.m. on April 5, snow crab fishermen from NB's Acadian Peninsula were permitted to put their traps in the sea.

According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans, this permission applied to zones 12 (12, 18, 25, and 26) and 12E in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

NB’s fishing season will go until the end of the day on June 30, when all fishermen must...