The Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) Alumni Award recognizes an alumnus annually for their exceptional accomplishments, an alumnus who has earned national or international prominence as a result of their outstanding professional achievements and/or service to society and is an inspiration to the MI community and beyond.

This alumnus’ accomplishments, reputation and character have by association enhanced the reputation of the Marine Institute.

The award is open to all alumni who have graduated from an Academic Council or Senate approved program at the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland.

This award recognizes the accomplishments of MI alumni, their service to society and their commitment to the MI and Memorial communities.

Ross Butler

This year’s recipient of the MI Alumni Award is Ross Butler, MI graduate of the Diploma of Technology, Food Technology (Marine Products), graduating class of 1982.

Ross is currently CEO, Cooke Aquaculture USA and Wanchese Seafood Company.

Thousands of Marine Institute alumni have been shaping the global marine and ocean industry since 1964.

This year’s MI Alumni Award recipient, Ross Butler, has made a tremendous impact on the worldwide seafood industry and remains rooted and devoted to his beloved Newfoundland and Labrador.

Forty years ago Ross went to work with what would become in the early 2000s the largest seafood marketer in North America, Fishery Product International (FPI) with his Diploma of Technology, Food Technology (Marine Products).

With hard work, Ross quickly rose to the executive level, where he was recruited by Cooke Aquaculture, a family-owned business from Atlantic Canada, looking to expand.

As a Senior VP at Cooke Aquaculture, he played a pivotal role in bringing the company to Newfoundland and Labrador, employing hundreds of people within the province’s seafood sector, including many MI alumni.

Ross moved to Senior VP for Ocean Choice International in their development and processing operations for a couple of years, before returning to Cooke Aquaculture as a Senior VP.

There, he was heavily involved in Cooke’s acquisitions in Europe, Central and South America, the UK, the USA, and elsewhere.

It was an extraordinary growth period which saw Cooke Aquaculture move from New Brunswick’s largest salmon aquaculture business to one of the world’s largest seafood firms.

Today, he is President and CEO of Cooke Seafood USA and the Wanchese Seafood Company, two large seafood companies in North America.