A statement from Cold Ocean Salmon Inc., owned by New Brunswick-based Cooke Aquaculture Inc., says approximately 77,000 of 550,000 salmon died in two cages at the cage site near Manual Arm.

Northern Harvest Sea Farms says the fish died after an extended period of high water temperatures, but the incident raised public concern because of slow public disclosure and confusion over the cause of death.

Spokesman Neville Crabbe says about 1,000 salmon escaped from a Cooke Aquaculture site near Deer Island on Aug. 20.

CEO Glenn Cooke described the product line as convenient, quality products for home cooks with all levels of confidence in the kitchen.

Cooke Aquaculture Inc. is the world's largest independent seafood company, with billions of dollars in annual revenue, shipping one billion pounds of fresh seafood annually to 67 countries.

Companies have volunteered time or resources to assist in relief efforts as regions along the Saint John River are predicted to surpass record-setting water levels.

Officials are urging the public to catch as many fish as possible.