The co-founder of the largest privately owned seafood company in the world has died.

Gifford Cooke co-founded Cooke Aquaculture in 1985 with his sons, Glenn and Michael.

He passed away on Sunday, according to a statement from the company on Monday. No other details were released.

Cooke is being remembered for his outgoing personality, robust work ethic, and friendly sense of humour.

“Over the decades, Gifford and his children, Glenn, Michael and Debbie built a local family company into a global seafood leader with fully integrated facilities, product lines and distribution networks,” vice-president Joel Richardson said in a news release.

The company, based in Blacks Harbour, N.B., now has nearly 13,000 employees in 15 countries around the world.

No funeral details have been released.