PROSPECTUS
SUPPLEMENT -
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Filed
pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
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(To
Prospectus dated December 10, 2009)
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No.
333-161910
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4,615,388
Shares of Common Stock
Pursuant
to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, we are offering
directly
to selected investors 4,615,388 shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per
share, at an offering price of $6.50 per share.
Pursuant to this prospectus supplement
and the accompanying prospectus, we are also issuing 177,000 shares of common
stock to one of our advisors in the People’s Republic of China with respect to
our financing activities.
Our
common stock is listed on the NYSE Amex LLC and traded under the symbol
“CMFO.” On January 19, 2010, the last reported sale price for our
common stock was $7.24 per share. Before you invest, you should
carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and other
information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information”
and “Incorporation by Reference.”
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should
carefully consider the “Risk Factors” that are discussed in this prospectus
supplement and incorporated by reference from our most recent annual report on
Form 10-K and our other filings made with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or
accuracy of this prospectus supplement. Any representation to the contrary
is a criminal offense.
Global
Hunter Securities LLC and Brean Murray, Carret & Co., LLC are acting as
co-lead placement agents and joint-book running managers for the
sale of the shares of our common stock. As set forth in the table below,
we have agreed to pay the placement agents an aggregate cash fee equal to five
percent (5%) of the gross proceeds of the offering. We have also
agreed to reimburse the placement agents for certain of its expenses as
described under “Plan of Distribution” in this prospectus supplement. The
placement agents are not required to arrange for the sale of any specific number
of shares or dollar amount but will use best efforts to arrange for the sale of
the shares.
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Per Common Share
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Total Offering
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Offering
Price
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$
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6.50
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$
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30,000,022.00
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Placement
Agents Fees (maximum)(1)
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$
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1,500,001.10
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Proceeds
before expenses to us (2)
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$
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28,500,020.90
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(1) The
placement agents’ fees shown are the maximum cash fees payable by the Company to
the placement agents (not including expense reimbursement).
(2) We
estimate the total expenses of this offering, excluding the placement agent
fees, will be approximately $100,000. Because there is no minimum offering
amount required as a condition to closing in this offering, the actual offering
amount, the placement agent fees and proceeds to us, if any, in this offering
may be substantially less than the maximum offering amounts set forth
above.
This
prospectus supplement is not complete without, and many not be utilized except
in connection with, the accompanying prospectus dated December 10,
2009. This prospectus supplement provides supplemental information
regarding us and updates certain information contained in the accompanying
prospectus and describes the specific terms of this offering. The
accompanying prospectus gives more general information, some of which may not
apply to this offering. We incorporate important information into
this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus by
reference.
Co-Lead
Placement Agents & Joint Book-Running Managers
Global
Hunter Securities LLC
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Brean
Murray, Carret & Co.
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The
date of this prospectus supplement is January 20, 2010
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Prospectus
Supplement
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PAGE
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ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
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S-1
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WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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S-2
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INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
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S-2
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NOTES
ON FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
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S-3
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COMPANY
OVERVIEW
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S-5
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THE
OFFERING
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S-7
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RISK
FACTORS
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S-7
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USE
OF PROCEEDS
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S-25
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DETERMINATION
OF OFFERING PRICE
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S-26
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DIVIDEND
POLICY
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S-26
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DESCRIPTION
OF COMMON STOCK
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S-26
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PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
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S-26
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LEGAL
MATTERS
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S-28
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EXPERTS
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S-28
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Prospectus
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PAGE
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ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS
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1
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WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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1
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INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
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2
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NOTE
ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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3
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COMPANY
OVERVIEW
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4
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RISK
FACTORS
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4
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USE
OF PROCEEDS
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5
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DESCRIPTION
OF CAPITAL STOCK
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5
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DESCRIPTION
OF DEPOSITORY SHARES
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7
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DESCRIPTION
OF WARRANTS
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10
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DESCRIPTION OF
RIGHTS
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13
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DESCRIPTION
OF UNITS
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15
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LEGAL
OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
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17
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PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
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21
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LEGAL
MATTERS
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23
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EXPERTS
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23
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We are
offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in
jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this
prospectus supplement and the offering of the common stock in certain
jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who
come into possession of this prospectus supplement must inform themselves about,
and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and
the distribution of this prospectus supplement outside the United States. This
prospectus supplement does not constitute, and may not be used in connection
with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities
offered by this prospectus supplement by any person in any jurisdiction in which
it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or
solicitation.
ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This
document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus
supplement, which describes the terms of this offering and also adds to and
updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents
incorporated by reference into the accompanying prospectus. The
second part is the accompanying prospectus, which gives more general information
about the shares of our common stock and other securities we may offer from time
to time under our shelf registration statement, some of which may not apply to
the securities offered by this prospectus supplement. To the extent
there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus
supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in the accompanying
prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein, on the other hand,
you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement
We
further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in
any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated
by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus were
made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some
cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements,
and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you.
Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of
the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants
should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our
affairs.
You
should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in
this prospectus supplement and contained or incorporated by reference in the
accompanying prospectus. We have not authorized anyone, including the placement
agents, and the placement agents have not authorized anyone, to provide you with
any information not contained herein or therein. We are offering to sell, and
seeking offers to buy, our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and
sales are permitted.
As
permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC, the registration statement
that contains the accompanying prospectus includes additional information not
contained in this prospectus supplement. You may read the registration statement
and the other reports we file with the SEC at the SEC's web site or at the SEC's
offices described below under the heading "Where You Can Find More
Information." You should also read and consider the information in
the documents we have referred you to in “Incorporation of Certain Information
by Reference.”
Except as
otherwise indicated by the context, references in this prospectus supplement
to:
“China
Marine,” “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are references to the combined business
of China Marine and its direct and indirect subsidiaries
“Ocean
Technology” means Ocean Technology (China) Company Limited (formerly Nice
Enterprise Trading H.K. Co., Limited) and/or its operating subsidiaries, as the
case may be.
“Rixiang”
means Shishi Rixiang Marine Foods Co., Ltd.
“Mingxiang”
means Shishi Huabao Mingxiang Foods Co., Ltd.
“Jixiang”
means Shishi Huabao Jixiang Water Products Co., Ltd.
“U.S.
Dollar,” “$” and “US$” means the legal currency of the United States of
America.
“RMB”
means Renminbi, the legal currency of China.
“China”
or the “PRC” are references to the People’s Republic of China.
This
offering of common stock is being made under a registration statement on Form
S-3, as amended by Pre-Effective Amendments Nos. 1, 2 and 3 thereto
(Registration File no. 333-161910) that we filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission as part of a “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf
registration process, we may offer to sell shares of our common stock, $0.001
par value, shares of our preferred stock, $0.001 par value, depository shares,
warrants and or rights, either individually or in units from time to time in one
or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $40,000,000.
WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have
filed a registration statement on Form S-3 and amendments thereto with the SEC.
This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus do not contain all of the
information contained in the registration statement. Because some information is
omitted, you should refer to the registration statement, as amended, and its
exhibits for additional information. For example, the descriptions in this
prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus regarding the contents of any
of our contracts, agreements or other documents are not necessarily complete and
you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement or
incorporated by reference for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other
document. You may obtain a copy of the registration statement from the SEC at
the address listed below or from the SEC’s web site.
We are
subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and are required
to file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC. You may inspect and copy these reports, proxy
statements and other information at the public reference facilities maintained
by the SEC in Washington, D.C. (100 F Street NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C.
20549). Copies of such materials can be obtained from the SEC's public reference
section at prescribed rates. You may obtain information on the operation of the
public reference rooms by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 or on the SEC
website located at http://www.sec.gov.
Information about us is also available
at our website at http://www.china-marine.cn. However, information contained on
our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus
supplement.
INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
The SEC
allows us to incorporate by reference information that we file with them, which
means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to
those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important
part of this prospectus supplement, and information we file later with the SEC
will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information
contained in this prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference in this
prospectus supplement.
We
incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we
will make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act but prior to the termination of any offering of securities made by this
prospectus supplement (other than any portion of such documents that are not
deemed "filed" under the Exchange Act in accordance with the Exchange Act and
applicable SEC rules):
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·
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our
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008; our
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2009, June
30, 2009 and September 30, 2009;
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·
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our
current reports on Form 8-K filed on January 5, 2009, February 3, 2009,
March 3, 2009, August 17, 2009, November 12, 2009, December 2, 2009,
January 5, 2010 and January 20, 2010;
and
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·
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the
description of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, contained in
the Section entitled "Description of Registrant's Securities to be
Registered" contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed
with the SEC on July 28, 2009 including any amendment or report filed for
the purpose of updating such
descriptions.
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Upon
written or oral request, we will provide without charge to each person,
including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus supplement is delivered,
a copy of any or all of such documents which are incorporated herein by
reference (other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are
specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus
supplement incorporates). Written or oral requests for copies should be directed
to:
Marco Hon
Wai Ku (Chief Financial Officer)
China
Marine Food Group Limited
Suite
815, 8
th
Floor,
Ocean Centre, Harbour City
5 Canton
Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, HONG KONG
Telephone:
852-2111-8696
Statements
contained in this prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by
reference herein referring to the contents of any contract or other document are
not necessarily complete. Where such contract or other document is listed
as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form S-3, of which the
accompanying prospectus forms a part, or any document incorporated by reference
herein or therein, each such statement is qualified by the provisions in such
exhibit, to which reference is hereby or thereby made.
NOTE
ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some
of the statements under "Company Overview," "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this
prospectus supplement may include forward-looking statements that reflect our
current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These
statements include forward-looking statements both with respect to us
specifically and our business sector in general. These statements are made
pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Statements that include the words "expect," "intend,"
"plan," "believe," "project," "estimate," "may," "should," "anticipate," "will"
and similar statements of a future or forward-looking nature identify
forward-looking statements for purposes of the federal securities laws or
otherwise.
All
forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties.
Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause our actual
results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We
believe that these factors include but are not limited to, those factors set
forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K under the captions "Risk
Factors," "Business," "Legal Proceedings," "Management's Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and "Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk," and those set forth in our most
recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the caption "Management's Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," all of which you
should review carefully. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light
of those risks as you read this prospectus supplement. We undertake no
obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether
as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.
If
one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our
underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary materially
from what we project. Any forward-looking statements you read in this prospectus
supplement reflect our views as of the date of this prospectus supplement with
respect to future events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties
and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth
strategy and liquidity. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking
statements attributable to us or individuals acting on our behalf are expressly
qualified in their entirety by this paragraph. Before making an investment
decision, you should specifically consider all of the factors identified in this
prospectus supplement that could cause actual results to
differ.
SUMMARY
This
summary highlights selected information appearing elsewhere or incorporated by
reference in this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus and may not
contain all of the information that is important to you. This prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus include or incorporate by reference
information about the shares we are offering as well as information regarding
our business and detailed financial data. You should read this prospectus
supplement and the accompanying prospectus in their entirety, including the
information incorporated by reference.
COMPANY
OVERVIEW
Summary
Through
our direct, wholly owned subsidiary, Ocean Technology and its subsidiaries,
Rixiang, Jixiang and Mingxiang, we engage in the business of processing,
distribution and sale of processed seafood based snack foods, as well as the
sale of fresh and frozen marine catch. Our objective is to establish ourselves
as a leading producer of processed seafood products in the PRC and overseas
markets. In 2010, we also became a manufacturer of algae-based soft drinks
through our acquisition of Shishi Xianghe Food Science and Technology Co., Ltd.
(“Xianghe”).
Our dried
and flavored seafood based snack foods are predominantly sold under our
registered trademark, the “Mingxiang” brand. These products are sold in seven
provinces in the PRC, including Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang
and Sichuan and in turn sub-distributed to 2,200 retail points in the PRC
(including major supermarkets and retailers such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour)
throughout these provinces. Our frozen processed seafood products are sold to
both domestic and overseas customers. Founded in 1994, China Marine has grown
steadily and positioned its "Mingxiang" brand as a category leader. We have
received "Famous Brand" and "Green Food" awards.
Our
marine catch is sold to customers in Liaoning, Fujian and Shandong Provinces,
some of whom directly export the marine catch to South Korea and
Taiwan.
Our
business premises, including our production plant, cold storage facility, office
tower and staff dormitory, are located close to Xiangzhi Port, the largest
fishing port in Fujian Province, which is one of the largest coastal provinces
in the PRC and a vital navigation hub between the East China Sea and the South
China Sea.
On
January 1, 2010, Mingxiang exercised its option to acquire shares representing
80% of the registered capital stock of Xianghe. Xianghe is a
manufacturer of the branded Hi-Power algae-based soft drinks. Xianghe has
developed a network of distributors with exclusive territories in Fujian,
Zhejiang, Guangdong and Hunan which sell Hi-Power to retail food stores,
restaurants food supply dealers and the hospitality industry
Our
principal executive offices are located at Da Bao Industrial Zone, Shishi
City
,
Fujian, China
,
362700, and our telephone
number at that location is 86-595-8898-7588.
Corporate
Structure
We are a
holding company organized under the laws of Nevada and Ocean Technology is a
holding company organized under the laws of Hong Kong. The other
subsidiaries are organized under the laws of the PRC. All subsidiaries are
wholly-owned except for Xianghe, the beverage company, in which we own an 80%
interest.
THE
OFFERING
Common
stock offered by us pursuant to this prospectus
supplement
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4,615,388 shares
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Common
stock to be outstanding after
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this
offering
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28,266,742
shares (1)
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Manner
of offering
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The
sale of shares of our common stock is being made pursuant to a securities
purchase agreement between us and the purchasers. See “Plan of
Distribution.”
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Use
of proceeds
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We
will use the net proceeds we receive from the sale of the Shares for
general working capital and potential business acquisitions. See “Use of
Proceeds.”
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NYSE
Amex LLC Symbol
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CMFO
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(1) Based
on 23,474,354 shares of common stock outstanding prior to the closing of this
offering as of January 19, 2010 and assumes the sale of all of the shares and
includes 177,000 shares being issued to an advisor but excludes any (i)
unexercised options and warrants, (ii) convertible securities that have not yet
been converted, and (iii) other securities of the Company that are exercisable
or exchangeable for, or convertible into, common stock of the Company that have
not yet been so exercised, exchanged or converted.
RISK
FACTORS
Investing
in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment
decision, you should carefully consider any risk factors set forth in this
prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents and
information incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and
accompanying prospectus, including, but not limited to, our most recent annual
report on Form 10-K and most recent report on Form 10-Q and reports on Form
8-K. The risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we
currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations.
For
more information about our SEC filings, please see “Where You Can Find More
Information” and “Incorporation By Reference” on page S-2 of this prospectus
supplement. See also “Note On Forward-Looking Statements” on page 5
of this prospectus supplement.
RISKS
RELATED TO OUR BUSINESS
We
are dependent on the supply of fresh seafood in our production of processed
seafood products and disruptions in the supply of fresh seafood could adversely
affect our business operations.
We use
fresh seafood as the primary ingredient in our processed seafood products. Our
processed seafood products accounted for approximately 47.2%, 60.3%, 76.5% and
90.9% of our sales in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, 2006, 2007 and
2008 respectively; and approximately 84.0% of our sales for the nine months
period ended September 30, 2009. Our production of processed seafood products is
largely dependent on the continuous supply of fresh seafood, which in turn could
be affected by a large number of factors, including environmental factors, the
availability of seafood stock, weather conditions, the policies and regulations
of the governments of the relevant territories where such fishing is carried
out, the ability of the fishing companies and fishermen that supply us to
continue their operations and pressure from environmental or animal rights
groups.
Specifically,
fishing activities in waters around the PRC are restricted in certain months to
ensure sustainable aquatic resources. In particular, the PRC Ministry of
Agriculture imposes restrictions against fishing in the South China Sea in the
months of June and July. There is no assurance that the PRC government may not
impose more stringent fishing regulations, including but not limited to longer
or more frequent periods that restrict fishing. Such restrictions against
fishing or unfavorable weather conditions have a direct impact on the
availability of the raw materials required for the production of our processed
seafood products, and could lead to a shortage and/or an increase in the prices
of our raw materials. Any shortage in the supply of or increase in the prices of
the raw materials for our processed seafood products will adversely affect our
business, profitability and financial condition.
Our
profitability will be affected by fluctuations in the prices of our major raw
materials.
Our
financial performance may be affected by changes in production costs
brought about by fluctuations in the prices of our raw materials. Our major raw
materials are fresh seafood which accounted for approximately 64.6%, 64.9%,
74.3% and 77.9% of our total cost of sales of processed seafood products in the
fiscal years ended December, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively; and
approximately 74.4% of our total cost of sales of processed seafood products for
the nine months period ended September 30, 2009.The prices of our major raw
materials may fluctuate due to changes in supply and demand conditions. Any
shortage in supply or upsurge in demand of our major raw materials may lead to
an increase in prices, which may adversely affect our profitability due to
increased production costs and lower profit margins.
We
are dependent on five major customers. In the event any one of these major
customers ceases to purchase or reduce their purchases from us, and we are
unable to secure new contracts, our sales will be adversely
affected.
Our top
five major customers accounted for approximately 64.1%, 56.9%, 45.8% and 44.9%
of our sales in the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008
respectively; and approximately 42.5% of our sales for the nine months period
ended September 30, 2009
.
In the event these customers do not continue to purchase from us or reduce their
purchases from us or develop its own ability to manufacture the products that we
sell to it, and we are unable to secure new contracts or new customers that can
replace the loss of these customers within a short time frame, our business
and profitability may be adversely affected.
We
are dependent on five major suppliers for our raw materials. In the event we are
no longer able to secure raw materials from these suppliers and are unable to
find alternative sources of supply at similar or more competitive rates, our
operations and profitability will be adversely affected.
For the
production of our processed seafood products, we rely on our major suppliers for
a significant portion of the supply of fresh seafood. Purchases from our top
five suppliers of raw materials accounted for 65.1%, 62.5%, 89.9% and 90.8% of
our total purchases of raw materials in the fiscal years ended December 31,
2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively; and approximately 85.6% of our total
purchases of raw materials for the nine months period ended September 30, 2009.
In the event that we are unable to secure our raw materials from these suppliers
and we are unable to find alternative sources of supply at similar or more
competitive rates, our business and operations will be adversely
affected.
A
significant portion of our business activities may be transacted in cash and our
internal controls in relation to cash management may not be able to address all
the risks associated with the handling of cash and cash
transactions.
Due to
the nature of our business, our procurement of raw materials is fully transacted
on a cash basis and a significant portion of our sales are transacted in cash.
Our cash payment for the procurement of raw materials accounted for the whole of
our total cost of sales for each of the fiscal years ended December 31, 2006 and
2005. Starting from 2007, we have requested our major suppliers to open bank
accounts and thus we could settle the purchases through bank
instructions. Sales transacted in cash accounted for 25.8%, 42.9%, 1.6% and
2.0% of our total sales for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2005, 2006, 2007
and 2008 respectively; and accounted for 2.6% of our total sales for the nine
months period ended September 30, 2009.
The
internal controls in relation to cash management that we have put in place may
not be able to address all the risks associated with the handling of cash and
cash transactions. We may therefore be exposed to risks such as loss, theft,
misappropriation and forgery of the cash used in our transactions. In the event
such risks materialize, our financial position, business and results of
operations may be materially and adversely affected.
Our
profitability and continued growth is dependent on our ability to yield
commercially viable products, to enhance our product range and expand our
customer base.
The
seafood processing industry is highly competitive. The growth potential of the
seafood processing industry is dependant on population growth and consumer
preferences. therefore believe that our profitability and continued growth is
dependant on our ability to expand our customer base in existing and new markets
by introducing new products that are fast growing and profitable in the
populations that we serve, as well as our ability to develop commercially viable
products through our product development efforts. If we do not succeed in these
efforts, the growth of our sales may slow down and adversely affect our
profitability.
Since
we do not have long-term contracts with our suppliers and customers there is no
guarantee that our suppliers will continue to supply us with raw materials, or
that our customers will continue to purchase our products.
We do not
have long-term contracts with our suppliers and our customers. Accordingly,
there can be no assurance that we will continue to be able to obtain sufficient
quantities of raw materials in a timely manner from our existing suppliers on
acceptable terms, or that our existing customers will continue to purchase our
products on terms that are acceptable to us or at all. In the event that we are
unable to source for new suppliers or new customers on terms that are acceptable
to us, our business and operations will be adversely affected.
We may be exposed to potential risks
relating to our internal controls over financial reporting and our ability to
have those controls attested to by our independent auditors
.
As
directed by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or SOX 404, the SEC
adopted rules requiring public companies to include a report of management on
the company’s internal controls over financial reporting in their annual
reports, including Form 10-K. In addition, the independent registered public
accounting firm auditing a company’s financial statements must also attest to
and report on management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s
internal controls over financial reporting as well as the operating
effectiveness of the company’s internal controls. We were not subject to these
requirements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009; accordingly, we have
not evaluated our internal control systems in order to allow our management to
report on, and our independent auditors to attest to, our internal controls as
required by these requirements of SOX 404. Under current law, we will be subject
to these requirements beginning with our annual report for the fiscal year
ending December 31, 2010. We can provide no assurance that we will comply with
all of the requirements imposed thereby. There can be no assurance that we will
receive a positive attestation from our independent auditors. In the event we
identify significant deficiencies or material weaknesses in our internal
controls that we cannot remediate in a timely manner or we are unable to receive
a positive attestation from our independent auditors with respect to our
internal controls, investors and others may lose confidence in the reliability
of our financial statements.
There
is no assurance that we will be able to execute our planned expansion of our
operations, production capacity or storage capacity or that such
expansion will result in commercial success.
We intend
to,
inter alia
and
expand our operations and production capacity in the PRC by constructing new
cold storage facilities. While the new production facilities, which increased
our capacity by 100%, were completed in 2009, there can be no assurance that the
construction of, the new cold storage facilities will be completed by the end of
2010 as expected. Our expansion plans involve a number of risks, including
inter alia
the costs of
investment in fixed assets, costs of working capital tied up in inventories, as
well as other working capital requirements. Our expansion will also depend on
our ability to secure new customers and/or sufficient orders. Failure to secure
new customers or sufficient orders or to meet our customers’ orders would
materially and adversely affect our business and financial performance.
There is
no assurance that our future plans will result in commercial success. If we are
unable to execute our expansion plans successfully, our business and financial
performance would be materially and adversely affected.
Changes
in consumer preferences or discretionary consumer spending could adversely
impact our results.
Our
continued growth and success depends in part on the popularity of our products.
Sales of our processed seafood products and marine catch as a percentage of our
total sales for the period under review were as follows:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
Period ended September
30,
|
|
Products
|
|
2005
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
Marine
catch
|
|
|
52.8
|
|
|
|
39.7
|
|
|
|
23.5
|
|
|
|
9.1
|
|
|
|
16.0
|
|
|
|
6.1
|
|
Processed
seafood products
|
|
|
47.2
|
|
|
|
60.3
|
|
|
|
76.5
|
|
|
|
90.9
|
|
|
|
84.0
|
|
|
|
93.9
|
|
Shifts in
consumer preferences or eating habits away from processed seafood products will
materially affect our business. In addition, our continued success depends, in
general, on the economic conditions, disposable income and consumer confidence
in the countries in which we sell our products, all of which can affect
discretionary consumer spending in such countries. Adverse changes in these
factors would reduce the flow of customers and limit our pricing which will
reduce our profitability.
Our
business activities are subject to certain laws and regulations and our
operations may be affected if we should fail to have in force the requisite
licenses and permits.
We are
required to obtain various licenses and permits in order to conduct our business
of production and export of processed seafood products. These include the
Hygiene Registration Certificate, which is a requirement in order to carry on
the production of food products in the PRC, as well as the HACCP certificate and
EU export registration, which is a requirement in order to export our processed
seafood products to certain countries. Our business is also subject to
applicable laws and regulations. Please see the section “Government
Regulations” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2008, filed on March 23, 2009 for a summary of the material laws and
regulations that apply to our Company.
Any
failure to comply with the conditions stipulated in our licenses and permits may
lead to their revocation or non-renewal. Any failure to observe the applicable
laws and regulations may lead to the termination or suspension of some or all of
our business activities or penalties being imposed on us. The occurrence of any
of these events may adversely affect our business, financial condition and
results of operations.
Our
processed seafood products may be illegally tampered with such that they are
rendered unfit for consumption and have to be recalled and
destroyed.
Our
processed seafood products are packed in plastic materials that can be
illegally tampered with. Illegal tampering of our processed seafood products
could result in such products being rendered unfit for consumption or cause them
to fail to meet customer specifications, health and/or safe handling
requirements. This may lead to a loss of customer confidence in our products;
affect our reputation, cause product recalls and/or product destruction. In
addition, we may incur substantial litigation costs and may be ordered to
compensate consumers in the event of any illness or death caused by the
consumption of an illegally tampered seafood product.
In the
event that our processed seafood products are recalled or destroyed as a result
of illegal tampering or a claim is made against us arising from the consumption
of our products, our reputation, business goodwill and sales will be adversely
affected.
Product
or raw material deterioration will lead to loss of sales, higher costs, negative
publicity, and payment of compensation to our customers and/or product liability
claims.
Our raw
materials and frozen processed seafood products, being perishable in nature, may
deteriorate due to various reasons such as malfunctioning cold storage
facilities, delivery delays or poor handling. This may lead to a delay in
production or delivery of our products, a loss in revenue, costs incurred in the
purchase of replacement raw materials and payment of compensation to our
customers. Any deterioration in our raw materials or processed seafood products
could have a material adverse effect on our business, operations and reputation.
Currently,
we do not have any product liability insurance in respect of our products. We
believe that premiums for product liability insurances are high compared to the
risk of claims. In the event that the consumption of our processed seafood
products causes harm, illness or death to a consumer of our products, whether as
a result of product deterioration, spoiling, sabotage, willful action, omission
or negligence, we may be liable to complaints, lawsuits and claims from
consumers of our products which in turn could generate negative publicity and
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and our
operations.
Outbreak
of disease or widespread contamination in any of the raw materials that we use
in our production or any food scares may lead to a loss in consumer confidence
and reduce the demand for our processed seafood products.
One of
our competitive strengths is our established brand name and track record. We
have received several awards and certificates for our high quality products,
including the “Green Food” award. Any outbreak of disease or widespread
contamination in any of the raw materials that we use in the production of our
products or food scares in the markets in which our processed seafood products
are manufactured or sold may have an adverse impact on our business as it may
lead to a loss in consumer confidence and reduce the demand of our processed
seafood products. It may also affect our sources of supply and we may have to
look for alternative sources of supply which may be more costly, or which may
not be available. If this develops into actual events, our operations and
profitability will be adversely affected.
Any
failure to meet health and hygiene standards may result in the suspension of
licenses, accreditations or the loss of our ability to import and export our
products.
We are
subject to annual checks carried out by the General Administration of Quality
Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the PRC (CIQ). The CIQ’s annual check
encompasses the inspection of food preparation, production and processing
operations, as well as health checks on our employees. Failure to meet the
required standards may result in our being required to take remedial measures to
meet the health and hygiene standards, or in extreme cases, the cancellation or
suspension of the license(s) and accreditation(s) required for us to carry on
our operations. In the event that this should occur, our operations and
financial condition will be materially and adversely affected and could lead to
a loss in customer confidence in our products.
In
addition, the CIQ makes random inspections on the processed seafood products
that we export. Failure to meet the required standards of hygiene may affect our
ability to export our processed seafood products and meet our customers’ orders
on time. It may also lead to a restriction on our ability to export our
processed seafood products which will materially and adversely affect our
business, financial condition and operations.
We bear the risk of loss in shipment
of our products and have no insurance to cover such loss
.
Under the
shipping terms of our standard customer contracts, we bear the risk of loss in
shipment of our products and do not insure this risk. Since management considers
the risk of loss to be minimal, with export sales representing less than 5% and
about 2.5% of our total sales for the year ended December 31, 2008 and nine
months period ended September 30, 2009, respectively. Moreover, we believe that
the shipping companies that we use carry adequate insurance or are sufficiently
solvent to cover any loss in shipment. Nevertheless, there can be no assurance
that we will be adequately reimbursed upon the loss of a significant shipment of
our products.
We
are dependent on our Executive Directors and Executive Officers. Any loss in
their services without suitable replacement may adversely affect our
operations.
Our
success to date has been largely due to the contribution of Pengfei Liu, our
Executive Chairman and CEO. Mr. Liu is the founder of our Company, and has
spearheaded our expansion and growth. He is responsible for our operations,
marketing, public relations, strategic planning and development of new products
and markets. Our continued success is dependent, to a large extent, on our
ability to retain his services.
The
continued success of our business is also dependent on our key management and
operational personnel. We rely on their experience in the processed seafood and
marine catch industry, product development, sales and marketing and on their
relationships with our customers and suppliers.
The loss
of the services of any of our executive directors or executive officers without
suitable replacement or the inability to attract and retain qualified personnel
will adversely affect our operations and hence, our revenue and
profits.
We
are dependent on our customers’ ability to maintain and expand their sales and
distribution channels. Should these distributors be unsuccessful in maintaining
and expanding their distribution channels, our results of operations will be
adversely affected.
Demand
for our products from end-consumers and our prospects depend on the retail
growth and penetration rate of our products to end-consumers. Sales of our
products are conducted mainly through distributors, over whom we have limited
control. As of September 30, 2009, our distribution network is comprised of 19
distributors located in seven provinces. These distributors sub-distribute our
dried processed seafood products to over 2,200 retail points, including major
supermarkets. We are thus dependent on the sales and distribution channels of
our distributors for broadening the geographic reach of our products. Should
these distributors be unable to maintain and expand their distribution channels,
our results of operations and financial position will be adversely
affected.
Failure
to compete effectively in a competitive environment may affect our
profitability.
We
operate in the highly competitive processed seafood industry. We believe that
our major competitors include international and domestic seafood processors.
Some of these competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical
and marketing resources, stronger brand name recognition and larger existing
customer base than we do.
We also
believe that these competitors may have the ability to respond more quickly to
new or emerging technologies or may adapt more quickly to changes in
customer requirements or may devote greater resources to the development,
promotion and sales of their products than us.
There is
no assurance that we will be able to continue competing successfully against
present and future competitors. We believe that important factors to achieving
success in our industry include maintaining customer loyalty by cultivating
long-term customer relationships, achieving consistent product renewal and
maintaining the quality of our products. If we are unable to attain these, we
may lose our customers to our competitors and this will adversely affect our
market share. Increased competition may also force us to lower our prices, thus
reducing our profit margins and affecting our financial performance and
condition. Such competition may have a material adverse effect on our business,
financial position and results of operations. Please refer to the section
captioned “Description of Business - Competition” of our Form 10-K for the
fiscal year ended December 31, 2008, filed on March 23, 2009 for further details
as to our present competitors.
Any
outbreak of earthquake, tsunami, adverse weather or oceanic conditions or other
calamities may result in disruption in our operations and could adversely affect
our sales.
We are
based in Fujian Province which is situated in southeast China on the coast of
the East China Sea. Fujian is a vital navigation hub between the East China Sea
and South China Sea, and is also rich in agricultural and marine resources. Our
main raw materials for our marine catch business come from the Taiwan Straight,
which is also the place where we conduct our marine catch
operations.
In 2004,
an undersea earthquake occurred off the west coast of Sumatra Indonesia. This
earthquake triggered a series of devastating tsunamis along the costs of most
landmasses boarding the Indian Ocean. More than 225,000 people in 11 countries
were killed, and coastal communities were inundated with waves up to 100
feet.
In May
2008, there was an 8.0 magnitude scale earthquake occurred at Sichuan Province
of China. It was also known the Wenchuan earthquake, which by any name killed at
least 69,000 people, and over 374,000 injured, with 18,000 listed as missing.
The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless, thought the number could
be as high as 11 million. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the
1976 Tangshan earthquake.
Due to
the location of our business, we may be at risk of experiencing another tsunami,
earthquake or other adverse weather or oceanic conditions. This may result in
the breakdown of our facilities, such as our cold storage facilities, which will
in turn lead to deterioration of our products with the potential for spoilage.
This could adversely affect our ability to fulfill our sales orders and
adversely affect our profitability.
Adverse
weather conditions affecting the fishing grounds where the fishing vessels
chartered by us operate such as storms, cyclones and typhoons or cataclysmic
events such as tsunamis may also decrease the volume of our fish catches or may
even hamper our fishing operations. Our operations may also be adversely
affected by major climatic disruptions such as El Nino which in the past has
caused significant decreases in seafood catches worldwide.
We
are in the business of processing, distributing and selling processed seafood
products and marine catch. Thus, a dramatic reduction in fish resources may
adversely affect our business.
We are in
the business of processing, distributing, and selling processed seafood
products, as well as selling marine catch. As such, 100% of our raw materials
are obtained through fishing. Due to over-fishing, the stocks of certain species
of fish may be dwindling and to counteract such over-fishing, governments may
take action that may be detrimental to our ability to conduct our operations. If
the solution proffered or imposed by the governments controlling the fishing
grounds either restrict our ability to procure seafood supply or if such action
limits the types, quantities and species of fish that we are able to
procure or catch, our operations and prospects may be adversely
affected.
We
are exposed to the credit risk of our customers which may cause us to make
larger allowances for doubtful trade receivables or incur bad debt
write-offs.
Our
customers may default on their payments to us. Although we review the credit
risk of our customers regularly, such risks will nevertheless arise from events
or circumstances that are difficult to anticipate or control, such as an
economic downturn. Our trade receivables turnover days were
approximately 57, 33, 27 and 34 days in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively;
and approximately 37 days as of September 30, 2009. Our allowances for doubtful
trade receivables as at December 31, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 were
approximately $22,000, $6,000, $21,000 and $24,000, respectively; and
as of September 30, 2009 was approximately $36,000, and at about 0.5% of our
gross trade receivables.
As a
result of this credit risk exposure of our customers defaulting on their
payments to us, we may have to make larger allowances for doubtful trade
receivables or incur bad debt write-offs, both of which may have an adverse
impact on our profitability.
We
may be subject to foreign exchange risk and may incur losses arising from
exchange differences upon settlement.
We sell
our dried processed seafood products, frozen processed seafood products and
marine catch mainly to local customers. Direct exports as a percentage of our
sales ranged between 0.5% to 4.9% during the period under review. Our
sales are denominated in RMB and US$, while our purchases are denominated in
RMB.
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2009, and the fiscal year of 2008, 2007, 2006
and 2005, the percentages of our sales denominated in RMB and US$ were as
follows:
|
|
Year ended December 31,
|
|
|
Period ended September
30,
|
|
|
|
2005
|
|
|
2006
|
|
|
2007
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
2009
|
|
|
2008
|
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
|
(%)
|
|
RMB
|
|
|
95.8
|
|
|
|
99.1
|
|
|
|
99.5
|
|
|
|
95.1
|
|
|
|
97.5
|
|
|
|
94.5
|
|
USD
|
|
|
4.2
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
0.5
|
|
|
|
4.9
|
|
|
|
2.5
|
|
|
|
5.5
|
|
We may
incur losses arising from exchange differences upon settlement. To the extent
that our sales, purchases and expenses are not naturally matched in the same
currency and there are timing differences between collections and payments, we
will be exposed to any adverse fluctuations in the exchange rates between the
various foreign currencies and the RMB. Any restrictions over the conversion or
timing of conversion of foreign currencies may also expose us to adverse
fluctuations in exchange rates. As a result, our earnings may be materially and
adversely affected.
On July
21, 2005, the Renminbi was unpegged against the US$ and pegged against a basket
of currencies on a “managed float currency regime”. As at December 31, 2008 and
September 30, 2009, the closing exchange rate was approximately US$1.00 to
6.8542 and US$1.00 to RMB6.8376, respectively. There is no assurance that the
PRC’s foreign exchange policy will not be further altered. In the event that the
PRC’s policy is altered, significant fluctuations in the exchange rates of RMB
against the US$ will arise. As a result we will be subject to significant
foreign exchange exposure and in the event that we incur foreign exchange
losses, our financial performance will be adversely affected.
We
currently do not have a formal hedging policy with respect to our foreign
exchange exposure as our foreign exchange gains and losses over the past three
fiscal years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively have been
relatively low. We will continue to monitor our foreign exchange exposure in the
future and will consider hedging any material foreign exchange exposure should
the need arise.
Our
products and brand name may be replicated or counterfeited which will in turn
have an adverse effect on our Company and we may be affected by intellectual
property rights disputes.
We have
registered certain trademarks in the PRC, details of which are set out in the
section “Intellectual Property” of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2008 filed on March 23, 2009. Despite the protection of
our trademark under the intellectual property laws of the PRC, such laws may not
be adequate or effectively enforced against third parties who may violate our
proprietary rights by illegally using our trademarks or our brand name. Our
products and brand names may be replicated or counterfeited, which in turn may
adversely affect our reputation and brand image.
Policing
unauthorized use of our trademarks or brand is difficult and costly,
particularly in countries where the laws may not fully protect our proprietary
rights. There can be no assurance that our means of protecting our proprietary
rights will be adequate. Any unauthorized use of our trademarks and brand may
damage our brand, recognition and reputation. This may lead to our customers
losing confidence in our brand and products, which, in turn, may lead to a loss
in our business and hence sales.
Our
business may be adversely affected by conditions in the financial markets and
economic conditions generally.
Worldwide
economic conditions may remain depressed for the foreseeable future. These
conditions make it difficult for us to accurately forecast and plan future
business activities, particularly with respect to
exports. Furthermore, during challenging economic times, we may face
issues gaining timely access to financings or capital infusion, which could
result in an impairment of our operations. We cannot predict the timing,
strength or duration of any economic slowdown or subsequent economic recovery,
worldwide, in the United States, or in our industry. These and other economic
factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and
operating results.
We
recently purchased a beverage company, which is a new line of
business.
On
January 1, 2010, we exercised an option to purchase Shishi Xianghe
Food Science and Technology Co., Ltd. (“Xianghe”), a beverage company, and
entered into a new business segment where we will need to rely on current
management for the business acquired.. Xianghe is a Fujian based
manufacturer of the branded Hi-Power algae-based soft drinks. We
intend to keep the management of Xianghe to continue to manage Xianghe. We will
be dependent on the current management of Xianghe for the continued development
of the beverage business. We do not have prior experience in the
beverage business and the success of Xianghe would be subject to all of the
uncertainties regarding the development of a new business. Although
we intend to integrate the product into Mingxiang’s distribution network, there
can be no assurance regarding the successful distribution and market acceptance
of the beverage products.
Certain
PRC government approvals may be revoked if Ocean Technology fails to contribute
additional capital to Rixiang
Ocean
Technology is required by the PRC to contribute $18,000,000 as a capital
contribution to Rixiang by December 25, 2009 as a condition for the prior
approval of the business license and certain certificates of
Rixiang. As of December 25, 2009, Ocean Technology had contributed
$11,000,000. Ocean Technology is applying for an extension of the period for
making the capital injection and intends to make the capital injection but there
is a risk that the PRC government could revoke the approval and certificates if
the contribution is not made.
RISKS
RELATED TO DOING BUSINESS IN CHINA
Our
operations in the PRC are subject to the laws and regulations of the PRC and any
changes in the laws or policies of the PRC may have a material impact on our
operations and financial performance.
As our
processed seafood products and marine catch businesses are carried out in the
PRC, we are subject to and have to operate within the framework of the PRC legal
system. Any changes in the laws or policies of the PRC or the implementation
thereof, for example in areas such as foreign exchange controls, tariffs, trade
barriers, taxes, export license requirements and environmental protection, may
have a material impact on our operations and financial performance.
The
corporate affairs of our companies in the PRC are governed by their articles of
association and the corporate and foreign investment laws and regulations of the
PRC. The principles of the PRC laws relating to matters such as the fiduciary
duties of directors and other corporate governance matters and foreign
investment laws in the PRC are relatively new. Hence, the enforcement of
investors or shareholders' rights under the articles of association of a PRC
company and the interpretation of the relevant laws relating to corporate
governance matters remain largely untested in the PRC.
Introduction
of new laws or changes to existing laws by the PRC government may adversely
affect our business if stricter regulations are imposed on the overseas business
practices of PRC companies
Our
operations are carried out through our wholly-owned subsidiaries which are
located in the PRC. As such, the laws of the PRC govern our businesses and
operations. The PRC legal system is a codified system of written laws,
regulations, circulars, administrative directives and internal guidelines. The
PRC government is still in the process of developing its legal system to
encourage foreign investment and to align itself with global practices and
standards. As the PRC economy is undergoing development at a faster rate than
the changes to its legal system, some degree of uncertainty exists in connection
with whether and how existing laws and regulations apply to certain events and
circumstances. Some of the laws and regulations and the interpretation,
implementation and enforcement of such laws and regulations are also at an
experimental stage and are subject to policy changes. Hence, precedents on the
interpretation, implementation and enforcement of certain PRC laws are limited
and court decisions in the PRC do not have binding effect on lower courts.
Accordingly, the outcome of dispute resolutions and litigation may not be as
consistent or predictable as in other more developed jurisdictions and it may be
difficult to obtain swift and equitable enforcement of the laws in the PRC, or
to obtain enforcement of a judgment by a court or another
jurisdiction.
In
particular, on August 8, 2006, six PRC regulatory bodies, including the Ministry
of Commerce (MOFCOM) and the China Securities Regulatory Commission (“CSRC”),
jointly promulgated the new “Regulations on Foreign Investors Merging with or
Acquiring Domestic Enterprises”, which took effect on September 8, 2006 (“2006
M&A Rules”). The 2006 M&A Rules regulate,
inter alia
, the acquisition
of PRC domestic companies by foreign investors.
On
September 21, 2006, the CSRC promulgated the “Guidelines on Domestic Enterprises
Indirectly Issuing or Listing and Trading their Stocks on Overseas Stock
Exchanges” (the “CSRC Guidelines”).
Under the
2006 M&A Rules and the CSRC Guidelines, the listing of overseas special
purpose vehicles (“SPV”) which are controlled by PRC entities or individuals are
subject to the prior approval of the CSRC. The 2006 M&A Rules and the CSRC
Guidelines do not provide any express requirement for an SPV to retroactively
obtain CSRC approval where the restructuring steps had been completed prior to
September 8, 2006.
Yuan Tai
Law Offices, our Legal Adviser on PRC Law, is of the opinion that (i) we have
obtained all the necessary governmental approvals from PRC authorities for the
restructuring of our subsidiaries prior to September 8, 2006, (ii) we do not
need to obtain CSRC approval and (iii) it is not necessary for us to comply
retroactively with the requirement of obtaining the prior approval of the CSRC
for our public listing in the U.S..
There is
no assurance that these PRC authorities will not issue further directives,
regulations, clarifications or implementation rules requiring us to obtain
further approvals in relation to our public listing in the U.S.
PRC
foreign exchange control may limit our ability to utilize our cash effectively
and affect our ability to receive dividends and other payments from our PRC
subsidiaries.
Our PRC
subsidiaries, which are foreign investment entities (“FIEs”), are subject to the
PRC rules and regulations on currency conversion. In the PRC, the State
Administration of Foreign Exchange (“SAFE”) regulates the conversion of the RMB
into foreign currencies. Currently, foreign investment enterprises (including
wholly foreign-owned enterprises) are required to apply to the SAFE for “Foreign
Exchange Registration Certificates for FIEs”. With such registration
certification (which have to be renewed annually), FIEs are allowed to open
foreign currency accounts including the “current account” and “capital account”.
Currently, transactions within the scope of the "current account" (for example,
remittance of foreign currencies for payment of dividends) can be effected
without requiring the approval of the SAFE. However, conversion of currency in
the “capital account” (for example, for capital items such as direct
investments, loans and securities) still requires the approval of the SAFE. Our
PRC operating subsidiary Rixiang has obtained the "Foreign Exchange Registration
Certificates for FIEs", which is subject to annual review.
There is
no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities will not impose restrictions on
the convertibility of the RMB for FIEs. In 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008,
approximately 95.8%, 99.1%, 99.5% and 95.1% of our sales, respectively was
denominated in RMB; and approximately 97.5% for the nine months period ended
September 30, 2009 of our sales was denominated in RMB. As such, any
future restrictions on currency exchanges may limit our ability to utilize funds
generated in the PRC to fund any potential business activities outside the PRC
or to distribute dividends to our shareholders.
Our
subsidiaries, operations and significant assets are located outside the U.S.
Shareholders may not be accorded the same rights and protection that would be
accorded under the Securities Act. In addition, it could be difficult to enforce
a U.S. judgment against our Directors and officers.
Our
subsidiaries, operations and assets are mostly located in the PRC. Our
subsidiaries are therefore subject to the relevant laws in the PRC. U.S. law may
provide shareholders with certain rights and protection which may not have
corresponding or similar provisions under the laws of the PRC. As such,
investors in our common stock may or may not be accorded the same level of
shareholder rights and protection that would be accorded under the Securities
Act. In addition, all our current executive directors are non-residents of the
U.S. and the assets of these persons are mainly located outside the U.S. As
such, there may be difficulty for our shareholders to affect service of process
in the U.S., or to enforce a judgment obtained in the U.S. against any of these
persons.
We
are subject to the PRC's environmental laws and regulations and in the event
stricter rules are imposed to protect the environment, we may have to incur
higher costs to comply with such rules.
Our
production facilities in the PRC will be subject to environmental laws and
regulations imposed by the PRC authorities,
inter alia
, in respect of air
protection, waste management and water protection. In the event stricter rules
are imposed on air protection, waste management and water protection by the PRC
authorities, we may have to incur higher costs to comply with such rules.
Accordingly, our financial performance may be adversely affected. In addition,
we require license for the discharge of pollutants for our operations, which is
subject to annual review and renewal. In the event that we fail to renew our
license with the relevant authority, our operations and financial performance
will be adversely affected.
The
outbreak of avian influenza and/or other communicable diseases, if uncontrolled,
could affect our financial performance and prospects.
The avian
influenza virus is a virus found chiefly in birds, but infections with these
viruses can occur in humans. In January of 2004, the first case of the avian
influenza was reported in Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei provinces. Later reports also
came from Anhui, Liaoning, Shanghai and Guangdong provinces. Since 2003,
there have been 37 recorded cases of the avian influenza in the
PRC.
Because
our operations are carried out through our wholly-owned subsidiaries located in
the PRC, the outbreak of avian influenza and/or other communicable diseases, if
uncontrolled, can have an adverse effect on business sentiments and environment.
In addition, if any of our employees, our customers or our suppliers, is
affected by the outbreak of communicable diseases, it can adversely affect,
among others, our operations, our customers
'
orders and our supply of raw
materials. Accordingly, our sales and profitability will be materially and
adversely affected.
Changes in
China’s political or economic situation could harm us and our operating
results
.
Economic
reforms adopted by the Chinese government have had a positive effect on the
economic development of the country, but the government could change these
economic reforms or any of the legal systems at any time. This could either
benefit or damage our operations and profitability. Some of the things that
could have this effect are:
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Level of government
involvement in the economy;
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Control of foreign
exchange;
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·
Methods of
allocating resources;
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·
Balance of payments
position;
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·
International trade
restrictions; and
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International
conflict.
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The
Chinese economy differs from the economies of most countries belonging to the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, in many ways. As
a result of these differences, we may not develop in the same way or at the same
rate as might be expected if the Chinese economy were similar to those of the
OECD member countries.
The
Chinese government exerts substantial influence over the manner in which we must
conduct our business activities. Government action in the future may require us
to divest ourselves of any interest we hold in Chinese properties.
China
only recently has permitted provincial and local economic autonomy and private
economic activities. The Chinese government has exercised and continues to
exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the Chinese economy
through regulation and state ownership. Our ability to continue to operate in
China may be affected by changes in its laws and regulations, including those
relating to taxation, import and export tariffs, environmental regulations, land
use rights, property and other matters. We believe that our operations in China
are in material compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory
requirements. However, the central or local governments of the jurisdictions in
which we operate may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of
existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on
our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or
interpretations.
Accordingly,
government actions in the future including any decision not to continue to
support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned
economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic
policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in China or
particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any
interest we then hold in Chinese properties or joint ventures.
Future
inflation in China may inhibit our ability to conduct business in
China.
In recent
years, the Chinese economy has experienced periods of rapid expansion and highly
fluctuating rates of inflation. During the past ten years, the rate of inflation
in China has been as high as 20.7% and as low as -2.2%. These factors have led
to the adoption by the Chinese government, from time to time, of various
corrective measures designed to restrict the availability of credit or regulate
growth and contain inflation. High inflation may in the future cause the Chinese
government to impose controls on credit and/or prices, or to take other action,
which could inhibit economic activity in China, and thereby harm the market for
our products.
Restrictions
on currency exchange may limit our ability to receive and use our revenues
effectively.
The
majority of our revenues will be settled in Renminbi and U.S. dollars, and any
future restrictions on currency exchanged may limit our ability to use revenue
generated in Renminbi to fund any future business activities outside China or to
make dividend or other payments in the U.S. dollars. Although the Chinese
government introduced regulations in 1996 to allow greater convertibility of the
Renminbi for current account transactions, significant restrictions still
remain, including primarily the restriction that foreign-invested enterprises
may only buy, sell or remit foreign currencies after providing valid commercial
documents, at those banks in China authorized to conduct foreign exchange
business. In addition, conversion of Renminbi for capital account items,
including direct investment and loans, is subject to governmental approval in
China, and companies are required to open and maintain separate foreign exchange
accounts for capital account items. We cannot be certain that the Chinese
regulatory authorities will not impose more stringent restrictions on the
convertibility of the Renminbi.
The
value of our securities will be affected by the foreign exchange rate between
U.S. dollars and Renminbi.
The value
of our common stock will be affected by the foreign exchange rate between U.S.
dollars and Renminbi, and between those currencies and other currencies in which
our sales may be denominated. For example, to the extent that we need to convert
U.S. dollars into Renminbi for our operational needs and should the Renminbi
appreciate against the U.S. dollar at that time, our financial position, the
business of the company, and the price of our common stock may be harmed.
Conversely, if we decide to convert our Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the
purpose of declaring dividends on our common stock or for other business
purposes and the U.S. dollar appreciates against the Renminbi; the U.S. dollar
equivalent of our earnings from our subsidiaries in China would be
reduced.
RISKS
RELATED TO THE MARKET FOR OUR STOCK
Pengfei
Liu will have significant influence over the outcome of matters submitted to
Shareholders for approval.
Prior to
this offering, Mr. Liu owns approximately 50.3% of our authorized share capital.
As a result, he will be able to exercise significant influence over all matters
requiring shareholder approval, including the appointment of our directors and
the approval of significant corporate transactions.
His ownership and
control may also have the effect of delaying or preventing a future change in
control, impeding merger, consolidation, takeover or other business combination
or discourage a potential acquirer from making a tender offer.
Our
share price may be volatile, which can result in substantial losses for
investors who purchase our common stock.
The
market price of our common stock may be highly volatile and can fluctuate
significantly and rapidly in response to,
inter alia
, the following
factors, some of which are beyond our control:
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Variations
in our operating results;
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Success
or failure of our management team in implementing business and growth
strategies;
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Gain
or loss of an important business relationship or adverse financial
performance by a significant customer or group of
customers;
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Changes
in securities analysts’ recommendations, perceptions or estimates of our
financial performance;
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Changes
in conditions affecting the seafood packaging and processing industry, the
general economic conditions or stock market sentiments or other events or
factors in the PRC;
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Changes
or developments in laws, regulations or taxes in the seafood processing
and packaging industry in the PRC;
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The
temporary or permanent loss of our seafood processing and packaging
facilities due to casualty, weather or any extended or extraordinary
maintenance or inspection that may be
required.
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Changes
in market valuations and share prices of companies with similar businesses
that may be listed in the U.S. or anywhere else in the
world;
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Additions
or departures of key personnel;
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Fluctuations
in stock market prices and volume;
or
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Involvement
in litigation.
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Additional
funds raised through issue of new shares for our future growth will dilute
Shareholders’ equity interests.
Although
we have identified our expansion plans as avenues to pursue growth in our
business, we may also find other opportunities to grow, including acquisitions
which cannot be predicted at this juncture. Under such circumstances, we may
seek to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility.
If new shares placed to new and/or existing shareholders are issued in the
future, they may be priced at a discount to the then prevailing market price of
our shares trading on the NYSE/AMEX or any other stock exchanges, in which case,
existing shareholders' equity interest will be diluted. If we fail to utilize
the new equity to generate a commensurate increase in earnings, our earnings per
share will be diluted and this could lead to a decline in our share price. Any
additional debt financing may, apart from increasing interest expense and
gearing, contain restrictive covenants with respect to dividends, future fund
raising exercises and other financial and operational matters.
A large number of
shares may be sold in the market following this offering, which may depress the
market price of our common stock.
All of
the shares of our common stock sold in the offering will be freely tradable
without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act. As a
result, a substantial number of shares of our common stock may be sold in the
public market following this offering, which may cause the market price of our
common stock to decline. If there are more shares of common stock offered for
sale than buyers are willing to purchase, then the market price of our common
stock may decline to a market price at which buyers are willing to purchase the
offered shares of common stock and sellers remain willing to sell the
shares.
Negative
publicity may adversely affect our share price.
One of
our competitive strengths is our established brand name and track record. We
have been involved in the production of processes seafood products since
commencing our operations in 1994. Our “Mingxiang” brand has been conferred the
“Famous Brand” award, and our products have received several other awards such
as the “Green Food” award. Please see “Description of Business - Competition”.
We have also established a track record in the processed seafood industry which
instills confidence in our products and attracts new customers from South Korea,
Japan, Taiwan, Russia and Ukraine, as well as potential customers from the
European Union. Negative publicity involving us, any of our directors or
executive officers may adversely affect our stock market price whether or not
such negative publicity is justified.
Certain
provisions of our Amended Articles of Incorporation may make it more difficult
for a third party to effect a change in control.
Our
Amended Articles of Incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue up
to 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The preferred stock may be issued in one
or more series, the terms of which may be determined at the time of issuance by
our board of directors without further action by the stockholders. These terms
may include voting rights including the right to vote as a series on particular
matters, preferences as to dividends and liquidation, conversion rights,
redemption rights and sinking fund provisions. The issuance of any preferred
stock could diminish the rights of holders of our common stock, and therefore
could reduce the value of such common stock. In addition, specific rights
granted to future holders of preferred stock could be used to restrict our
ability to merge with, or sell assets to, a third party. The ability of our
board of directors to issue preferred stock could make it more difficult, delay,
discourage, prevent or make it more costly to acquire or effect a
change-in-control, which in turn could prevent the stockholders from recognizing
a gain in the event that a favorable offer is extended and could materially and
negatively affect the market price of our common stock.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
We estimate that the net proceeds from
the sale of the 4,615,388 shares will be approximately $28,400,000 assuming that
we sell the maximum number of shares we are offering pursuant to this prospectus
supplement. We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds to
us from any sale of the shares under this prospectus supplement. Except as
described in this prospectus supplement, we currently anticipate that the net
proceeds from any sale of the shares under this prospectus supplement will be
used for general corporate purposes, including but not limited to working
capital and capital expenditures. We may also use the net proceeds to fund
acquisitions of businesses. Pending application of the net proceeds, we may
initially invest the net proceeds or apply them to reduce short-term
indebtedness. If we intend to use the net proceeds of any offering to repay
outstanding debt, we will provide details about the debt we intend to repay in
another prospectus supplement.
We will
also use the proceeds:
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to
pay the placement agent fees of
$1,500,001.10;
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to
pay the fees and expenses for legal, accounting, and other services
received in connection with the negotiation, preparation, execution,
delivery, and performance of the securities purchase agreement under which
this offering is being consummated;
and
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to
pay for all transfer agent fees, and taxes and duties, if any, levied in
connection with the delivery of any shares to the purchasers in this
offering.
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DETERMINATION
OF OFFERING PRICE
We
negotiated the price for the shares in this offering with the purchasers. The
factors considered in determining the price included the recent market price of
our common stock, the general condition of the securities market at the time of
this offering, the history of, and the prospects, for the industry in which we
compete, our past and present operations, and our prospects for future
revenues.
DIVIDEND
POLICY
We have
not paid dividends on our common stock in the past and have no present intention
of paying dividends in the foreseeable future.
DESCRIPTION OF COMMON
STOCK
In this
offering, we are offering a maximum of 4,615,388 shares of common
stock.
The
material terms and provisions of our common stock, including our dividend policy
are described under the caption “Description of Common Stock” starting on page 7
of the accompanying prospectus.
Our
transfer agent and registrar for the Shares is
Interwest Transfer
Company, Inc. Their mailing address is 1981 East 4800 South, Suite 100, Salt
Lake City, Utah, 84117. Their phone number is (801) 272-9294.
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
Subject
to the terms and conditions contained in our placement agency agreement dated
January 15, 2010, Global Hunter Securities LLC, and Brean Murray, Carret &
Co., LLC, as co-lead placement agents and joint book runners, have agreed
to act as exclusive placement agents for the sale of the shares. The
placement agents are not purchasing or selling any shares of our common stock or
other securities by this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus,
nor are they required to arrange for the purchase or sale of any specific number
or dollar amount of shares or other securities, but will use best efforts to
arrange for the sale of all the shares.
Further, the placement
agents do not guarantee that they will be able to raise new capital in any
prospective offering.
On
January 20, 2010, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with certain
purchasers providing for the sale by us to such purchasers of a total of
4,615,388 shares of our common stock (the “Shares”) at a purchase price of $6.50
per share
The
securities purchase agreement with the purchasers and the placement agency
agreement with the placement agents provide that the obligations of the
purchasers and the placement agents are subject to certain conditions precedent,
including the absence of any material adverse change in our business and the
receipt of certain certificates from us.
Confirmations
and definitive prospectuses will be distributed to the purchasers informing the
purchasers of the closing date as to such shares of common stock. We
currently anticipate that the closing of the sale of the shares being offered
pursuant to this prospectus supplement will take place on or before January 25,
2010. The purchasers will also be informed of the date and manner in which they
must transmit the purchase price for their shares.
On the
closing date, the following will occur:
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we
will deliver the shares to the
purchasers;
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we
will receive funds in the amount of the aggregate purchase price;
and
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the
placement agents will be paid their
fee.
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As
compensation for the services provided by the placement agents we have agreed to
pay to the placement agents an aggregate cash fee payable immediately upon the
closing of the offering equal to 5% of the aggregate gross proceeds raised in
the offering, and which shall be shared in equal proportions by each placement
agent regardless of the actual amount of shares sold by each of them or on their
behalf.
In
compliance with the guidelines of FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount
to be received by the placement agents or any other FINRA member may not exceed
8% of the gross proceeds to us in this offering or any other offering in the
United States.
We may
also reimburse the placement agents for certain out-of-pocket expenses
reasonably incurred in connection with this offering and we will pay all of our
expenses incurred in this offering. Our estimated expenses of the offering are
$100,000, which includes legal, accounting and printing costs and various other
fees associated with registering and listing the shares. After deducting certain
fees due to the placement agents and our estimated offering expenses, we expect
the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately
$28,400,020.90.
We have
agreed to indemnify the placement agents against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act and liabilities arising from breaches of
representations and warranties contained in the securities purchase agreement.
We have also agreed to contribute to payments the placement agents may be
required to make in respect of such liabilities.
Pursuant
to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, we are also
issuing 177,000 shares of common stock to an advisor in the People's Republic of
China with respect to our financing activities.
Copies of
the form of the securities purchase agreement and the placement agency agreement
will be included in a Current Report on Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC
and that will be incorporated by reference into this prospectus
supplement.
Our
common stock is listed on the NYSE Amex LLC and traded under the symbol
“CMFO.”
LEGAL
MATTERS
The
validity of the securities offered in this prospectus will be passed upon for us
by McLaughlin & Stern, LLP, New York and Gordon Law Group,
Nevada. Sichenzia Ross Friedman Ference LLP has served as counsel for
the placement agents.
EXPERTS
The
financial statements of China Marine for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2008, have been incorporated by reference herein and
in the registration statement. Our financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2008 are incorporated by reference in reliance on the reports
of ZYCPA Company Limited (formerly Zhong Yi (Hong Kong) C.P.A. Company Limited),
independent registered public accounting firm, and upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing. Our financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2007 are incorporated by reference in reliance
on the reports of Cordovano and Honeck, LLP, independent registered public
accounting firm, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting
and auditing.
$40,000,000
COMMON
STOCK
PREFERRED
STOCK
WARRANTS
RIGHTS
DEPOSITORY
RECEIPTS
UNITS
We may
offer common stock, preferred stock, depository shares, warrants and/or rights,
either individually or in units, from time to time in one or more offerings in
amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined in light of market conditions
at the time of sale. We may also offer (i) common stock or preferred
stock upon conversion of preferred stock or (ii) common stock, preferred stock
or depository shares upon the exercise of warrants or rights.
Each time
we sell these securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that
contains specific information about the offering. The supplement may
also add, update or change information contained in this
prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and any
supplement before you invest.
We may
offer and sell these securities, from time to time, to or through one or more
underwriters, dealer and agents, or directly to purchasers on a continuous or
delayed basis, at prices and on other terms to be determined at the time of
offering.
Our
common stock is listed on the NYSE Amex LLC and traded under the symbol
“CMFO.” On December 9,, 2009, the last reported sale price for our common
stock was $7.86 per share. Before you invest, you should carefully read this
prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and information described under
the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation by
Reference.”
An
investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should
carefully consider the “Risk Factors” that are incorporated by reference in this
prospectus from our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our other
filings made with the Securities and Exchange Commission or that may be
contained in any supplements to this prospectus.
Neither
the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has
approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or
accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a
criminal offense.
The date
of this prospectus is December 10, 2009.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
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PAGE
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ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS
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1
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WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
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1
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INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
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2
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NOTE
ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
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3
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COMPANY
OVERVIEW
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4
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RISK
FACTORS
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4
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USE
OF PROCEEDS
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5
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DESCRIPTION
OF CAPITAL STOCK
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5
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DESCRIPTION
OF DEPOSITORY SHARES
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7
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DESCRIPTION
OF WARRANTS
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10
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DESCRIPTION OF
RIGHTS
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13
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DESCRIPTION
OF UNITS
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15
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LEGAL
OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
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17
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PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
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21
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LEGAL
MATTERS
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23
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EXPERTS
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23
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ABOUT
THIS PROSPECTUS
This
prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a "shelf" registration process. Under
this shelf registration process, from time to time, we may sell securities in
one or more offerings. We have provided to you in this prospectus a general
description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities under
this shelf registration process, we will provide a prospectus supplement that
will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. We may also
add, update or change in the prospectus supplement any of the information
contained in this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the
information contained in this prospectus and the prospectus supplement, you
should rely on the information in the prospectus supplement; provided that if
any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in
another document having a later date — for example, a document incorporated by
reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement – the statement in the
document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier
statement.
As
permitted by the rules and regulations of the SEC, the registration statement
that contains this prospectus includes additional information not contained in
this prospectus. You may read the registration statement and the other reports
we file with the SEC at the SEC's web site or at the SEC's offices described
below under the heading "Where You Can Find More Information."
Except as
otherwise indicated by the context, references in this prospectus
to:
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“China
Marine,” “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are references to the combined
business of China Marine and its direct and indirect
subsidiaries
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“Ocean
Technology” means Ocean Technology (China) Company Limited (formerly Nice
Enterprise Trading H.K. Co., Limited)
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“Rixiang”
means Shishi Rixiang Marine Foods Co.,
Ltd.
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“Mingxiang”
means Shishi Huabao Mingxiang Foods Co., Ltd.
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“Jixiang”
means Shishi Huabao Jixiang Water Products Co.,
Ltd.
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“U.S.
Dollar,” “$” and “US$” means the legal currency of the United States of
America.
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“RMB”
means Renminbi, the legal currency of
China.
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“China”
or the “PRC” are references to the People’s Republic of
China.
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WHERE
YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We
are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and are
required to file annual, quarterly and other reports, proxy statements and other
information with the SEC. You may inspect and copy these reports, proxy
statements and other information at the public reference facilities maintained
by the SEC in Washington, D.C. (100 F Street NE, Room 1580, Washington, D.C.
20549). Copies of such materials can be obtained from the SEC's public reference
section at prescribed rates. You may obtain information on the operation of the
public reference rooms by calling the SEC at (800) SEC-0330 or on the SEC
website located at http://www.sec.gov.
Information
about us is also available at our website at http://www.china-marine.cn.
However, information contained on our website does not constitute a part of this
prospectus.
INCORPORATION
BY REFERENCE
The
SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information that we file with them,
which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you
to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an
important part of this prospectus, and information we file later with the SEC
will automatically update and, where applicable, supersede any information
contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this
prospectus.
We
incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we
will make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act but prior to the termination of any offering of securities made by this
prospectus (other than any portion of such documents that are not deemed "filed"
under the Exchange Act in accordance with the Exchange Act and applicable SEC
rules):
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our
annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008; our
quarterly reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2009, June
30, 2009 and September 30, 2009;
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·
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our
current reports on Form 8-K filed on January 5, 2009, February 3, 2009,
March 3, 2009, August 17, 2009, November 12, 2009 and December 2, 2009;
and
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the
description of our common stock, $0.001 par value per share, contained in
the Section entitled "Description of Registrant's Securities to be
Registered" contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed
with the SEC on July 28, 2009 including any amendment or report filed for
the purpose of updating such
descriptions.
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Upon
written or oral request, we will provide without charge to each person,
including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, a copy of
any or all of such documents which are incorporated herein by reference (other
than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically
incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus incorporates).
Written or oral requests for copies should be directed to:
Marco Hon
Wai, Ku (Chief Financial Officer)
China
Marine Food Group Limited
Suite
815, 8
th
Floor,
Ocean Centre, Harbour City
5 Canton
Road, Tsimshatsui, Kowloon, HONG KONG
Telephone:
852-2111-8696
Statements
contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein
referring to the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily
complete. Where such contract or other document is listed as an exhibit to
the Registration Statement on Form S-3, of which this prospectus forms a
part, or any document incorporated by reference therein, each such statement is
qualified by the provisions in such exhibit, to which reference is hereby
made.
NOTE
ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some
of the statements under "Company Overview," "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this
prospectus may include forward-looking statements that reflect our current views
with respect to future events and financial performance. These statements
include forward-looking statements both with respect to us specifically and our
business sector in general. These statements are made pursuant to the safe
harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Statements that include the words "expect," "intend," "plan," "believe,"
"project," "estimate," "may," "should," "anticipate," "will" and similar
statements of a future or forward-looking nature identify forward-looking
statements for purposes of the federal securities laws or
otherwise.
All
forward-looking statements address matters that involve risks and uncertainties.
Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause our actual
results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We
believe that these factors include but are not limited to, those factors set
forth in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K under the captions "Risk
Factors," "Business," "Legal Proceedings," "Management's Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," and "Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk," and those set forth in our most
recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the caption "Management's Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations," all of which you
should review carefully. Please consider our forward-looking statements in light
of those risks as you read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We
undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or
otherwise.
If
one or more of these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if our
underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary materially
from what we project. Any forward-looking statements you read in this prospectus
reflect our views as of the date of this prospectus with respect to future
events and are subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions
relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy and
liquidity. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements
attributable to us or individuals acting on our behalf are expressly qualified
in their entirety by this paragraph. Before making an investment decision, you
should specifically consider all of the factors identified in this prospectus
that could cause actual results to differ.
COMPANY
OVERVIEW
Through
our direct, wholly owned subsidiary, Ocean Technology (China) Company Limited
(formerly Nice Enterprise Trading H.K. Co., Limited), and its subsidiaries –
Shishi Rixiang Marine Foods Co., Ltd., Shishi Huabao Jixiang Water Products Co.,
Ltd. and Shishi Huabao Mingxiang Foods Co., Ltd., we engage in the business of
processing, distribution and sale of processed seafood based snack foods, as
well as the sale of fresh and frozen marine catch. Our objective is to establish
ourselves as a leading producer of processed seafood products in the PRC and
overseas markets.
Our dried
and flavored seafood based snack foods are predominantly sold under our
registered trademark, the “Mingxiang” brand. These products are sold in seven
provinces in the PRC, including Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang
and Sichuan and in turn sub-distributed to 2,200 retail points in the PRC
(including major supermarkets and retailers such as Wal-Mart and Carrefour)
throughout these provinces. Our frozen processed seafood products are sold to
both domestic and overseas customers. Founded in 1994, China Marine has grown
steadily and positioned its "Mingxiang" brand as a category leader. We have
received "Famous Brand" and "Green Food" awards.
Our
marine catch is sold to customers in Liaoning, Fujian and Shandong Provinces,
some of whom directly export the marine catch to South Korea and
Taiwan.
Our
business premises, including our production plant, cold storage facility, office
tower and staff dormitory, are located close to Xiangzhi Port, the largest
fishing port in Fujian Province, which is one of the largest coastal provinces
in the PRC and a vital navigation hub between the East China Sea and the South
China Sea.
Our
principal executive offices are located at Da Bao Industrial Zone, Shishi
City
,
Fujian, China
,
362700, and our telephone
number at that location is 86-595-8898-7588.
RISK
FACTORS
Investing
in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment
decision, you should carefully consider any risk factors set forth in the
applicable prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference in
this prospectus, including, but not limited to, our most recent annual report on
Form 10-K and most recent report on Form 10-Q, and the applicable prospectus
supplement, as well as other information we include or incorporate by reference
in this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement. The risks and
uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may
also affect our business operations.
For
more information about our SEC filings, please see “Where You Can Find More
Information” and “Incorporation By Reference” on pages 3 and 4 of this
prospectus. See also “Note On Forward-Looking Statements” on page 5
of this prospectus
.
USE
OF PROCEEDS
We
will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds to us from any
sale of our securities under this prospectus. Except as described in any
prospectus supplement, we currently anticipate that the net proceeds from any
sale of our securities under this prospectus will be used for general corporate
purposes, including but not limited to working capital and capital expenditures.
We may also use the net proceeds to fund acquisitions of businesses. Pending
application of the net proceeds, we may initially invest the net proceeds or
apply them to reduce short-term indebtedness. If we intend to use the net
proceeds of any offering to repay outstanding debt, we will provide details
about the debt we intend to repay in a prospectus supplement.
DESCRIPTION
OF CAPITAL STOCK
COMMON
STOCK
As of
December 10, 2009, we had 23,334,633 shares of common stock
outstanding. Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000
common shares, $0.001 par value per share and 1,000,000 preferred shares, par
value $0.001 per share. All shares of common stock are entitled to share equally
in dividends from sources legally available, therefore, when, as and if declared
by our board of directors, and upon our liquidation or dissolution, whether
voluntary or involuntary, to share equally in our assets available for
distribution to out stockholders.
Our board
of directors is authorized to issue additional shares of common stock not to
exceed the amount authorized by our Amended Articles of Incorporation, on such
terms and conditions and for such consideration as our board may deem
appropriate without further stockholder action. However, the board of directors
shall maintain a reserve from its duly authorized shares of common stock to
allow for the exercise of the warrants issued pursuant to the Securities
Purchase Agreement.
VOTING
RIGHTS
Each
holder of common stock is entitled to one vote per share on all matters on which
such stockholders are entitled to vote. Since the shares of common stock do not
have cumulative voting rights, the holders of more than 50% of the shares voting
for the election of directors can elect all the directors if they choose to do
so and, in such event, the holders of the remaining shares will not be able to
elect any person to our board of directors.
DIVIDEND
POLICY
Pursuant
to a Stock Purchase Agreement with Halter Financial Investments, L.P. dated
September 13, 2007, we paid a special cash dividend in the aggregate amount of
$392,028, or $0.364 per share, to holders of our common stock outstanding as of
September 12, 2007.
Other
than the cash dividend describe above, we have never paid or declared dividends.
However, holders of our common stock are entitled to dividends if declared by
the board of directors out of funds legally available. We do not, however,
anticipate the declaration or payment of any dividends in the foreseeable
future. We intend to retain earnings, if any, to finance the development and
expansion of our business. Future dividend policy will be subject to the
discretion of the board of directors and will be contingent upon future
earnings, if any, our financial condition, capital requirements, general
business conditions and other factors. Therefore, there can be no assurance that
any dividends of any kind will ever be paid.
PREFERRED
STOCK
We are
authorized to issue up to 1,000,000 shares of $0.001 par value preferred stock.
We have no shares of preferred stock outstanding. Under our Amended Articles of
Incorporation, our board of directors has the power, without further action by
the holders of the common stock, to determine the relative rights, preferences,
privileges and restrictions of the preferred stock, and to issue the preferred
stock in one or more series as determined by the board of directors. The
designation of rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions could include
preferences as to liquidation, redemption and conversion rights, voting rights,
dividends or other preferences, any of which may be dilutive of the interest of
the holders of the common stock.
WARRANTS
In
November 2007, we granted a group of accredited investors three-year warrants to
purchase up to 1,239,888 shares of our common stock exercisable at any time at a
price equal to $4.1782 per share. As of December 10, 2009, warrants
to purchase 660,241 shares of common stock have been exercised with the cashless
exercise provisions of such warrants.
We issued
warrants to Sterne Agee & Leach, Inc.’s designee, for the purchase of up to
an aggregate of 557,950 shares of our common stock, which warrants are for a
term of three years from issuance and have an exercise price of $4.1782 per
share or on a cashless exercise basis.
Our
consultants also received three-year warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of
371,966 shares of our common stock, which may be exercised at any time at a
price equal to $4.1782 per share.
The
exercise price of the foregoing warrants was determined based on the offering
price of our common stock sold in the private placement transaction completed on
November 17, 2007.
LISTING
Our
common stock is listed on the NYSE Amex LLC and traded under the symbol
“CMFO.”
TRANSFER
AGENT AND REGISTRAR
The
transfer agent and registrar for the common stock is
Interwest Transfer
Company, Inc. Their mailing address is 1981 East 4800 South, Suite 100, Salt
Lake City, Utah, 84117. Their phone number is (801) 272-9294.
DESCRIPTION
OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
The
descriptions below and in any prospectus supplement of certain provisions of the
deposit agreement and depositary receipts summarize the material terms of these
documents. Because these summaries are not complete, you should refer to the
form of deposit agreement and form of depositary receipts relating to each
series of the preferred stock.
General
We may,
at our option, elect to have shares or fractional shares of preferred stock be
represented by depositary shares. We will deposit the shares of any series of
preferred stock underlying the depositary shares under a separate deposit
agreement (which we refer to as a "deposit agreement") between us and a bank or
trust company selected by us (which we refer to as the "preferred stock
depositary"). We will include the name and address of the preferred stock
depositary for any depositary shares in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, each owner of a depositary share
will be entitled, proportionately, to all the rights, preferences and privileges
of the preferred stock represented by that depositary share, including dividend,
voting, redemption, conversion, exchange and liquidation rights.
The
depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to
the deposit agreement. Each depositary share will represent the applicable
interest in a number of shares of a particular series of preferred stock
described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
A holder
of depositary shares will be entitled to receive the number of whole shares or
fractional shares of preferred stock underlying the holder’s depositary shares.
If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of
depositary shares in excess of the whole number of shares of preferred stock to
be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to the holder the number of whole
shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, together with a new depositary
receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares.
Dividends
and Other Distributions
The
preferred stock depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash
distributions on the preferred stock to the record holders of depositary
receipts in proportion, insofar as possible, to the number of depositary shares
owned by the holders.
If we
distribute property other than cash with respect to the preferred stock, the
preferred stock depositary will distribute property received by it to the record
holders of depositary receipts in proportion, insofar as possible, to the number
of depositary shares owned by the holders, unless the preferred stock depositary
determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. In this event, the
preferred stock depositary may, with our approval, adopt any method it deems
equitable and practicable for the purpose of effecting the distribution,
including a public or private sale of the property and distribution of the net
proceeds from the sale to the record holders of the depositary
receipts.
The
amount so distributed in any of the circumstances described above will be
reduced by any amount required to be withheld by us or the preferred stock
depositary on account of taxes.
Conversion
and Exchange
We will
describe any terms relating to the conversion or exchange of any series of
preferred stock underlying the depositary shares in the applicable prospectus
supplement. If any preferred stock underlying the depositary shares is subject
to provisions relating to its conversion or exchange, each record holder of
depositary shares will have the right or obligation to convert or exchange the
depositary shares pursuant to the terms thereof.
Redemption
of Depositary Share
If
preferred stock underlying the depositary shares is subject to redemption, the
depositary shares will be redeemed from the proceeds received by the preferred
stock depositary as a result of the redemption, in whole or in part, of the
preferred stock held by the preferred stock depositary. The redemption price per
depositary share will be equal to the aggregate redemption price payable with
respect to the number of shares or fractional shares of preferred stock
underlying that depositary share. Whenever we redeem preferred stock from the
preferred stock depositary, the preferred stock depositary will redeem as of the
same redemption date a proportionate number of depositary shares representing
the shares of preferred stock that were redeemed. If less than all the
depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will
be selected by lot or proportionately as we may determine.
After the
date fixed for redemption, the depositary shares called for redemption will no
longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights of the holders of the
depositary shares will cease, other than the right to receive the redemption
price upon redemption. Any funds deposited by us with the preferred stock
depositary for any depositary shares which the holders fail to redeem shall be
returned to us after a period of two years from the date the funds are
deposited.
Voting
Upon
receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of any shares of preferred
stock underlying the depositary shares are entitled to vote, the preferred stock
depositary will mail the information contained in the notice to the record
holders of the depositary receipts. Each record holder of depositary receipts on
the record date (which will be the same date as the record date for the
preferred stock) will be entitled to instruct the preferred stock depositary as
to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares or
fractional shares of preferred stock underlying that holder's depositary shares.
The preferred stock depositary will endeavor, as far as practicable, to vote the
number of shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares in
accordance with those instructions, and we will agree to take all reasonable
action which may be deemed necessary by the preferred stock depositary in order
to enable the preferred stock depositary to do so. The preferred stock
depositary will abstain from voting the preferred stock to the extent it does
not receive specific written instructions from holders of depositary receipts
representing the preferred stock.
Record
Date
Whenever:
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any
cash dividend or other cash distribution becomes payable, any distribution
other than cash is made or any rights, preferences or privileges are
offered with respect to the preferred stock;
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the
preferred stock depositary receives notice of any meeting at which holders
of preferred stock are entitled to vote or of which holders of preferred
stock are entitled to notice;
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the
preferred stock depositary receives notice of the mandatory conversion of
or any election on our part to call any preferred stock for redemption,
the preferred stock depositary shall in each case fix a record date (which
shall be the same as the record date for the preferred stock) for the
determination of the holders of depositary
receipts;
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who
shall be entitled to receive the dividend, distribution, rights,
preferences or privileges or the net proceeds of their
sale;
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who
shall be entitled to give instructions for the exercise of voting rights
at any meeting; or
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who
shall be entitled to receive notice of the meeting or of the redemption or
conversion, subject to the provisions of the deposit
agreement.
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Amendment
and Termination of the Deposit Agreement
We
and the preferred stock depositary may amend the form of depositary receipt and
any provision of the deposit agreement at any time. However, unless the
applicable prospectus supplement states otherwise, any amendment which imposes
or increases any fees, taxes or other charges payable by the holders of
depositary receipts (other than taxes and other governmental charges, fees and
other expenses payable by the holders as described below under "Charges of
Preferred Stock Depositary"), or which otherwise prejudices any substantial
existing right of holders of depositary receipts, will not take effect as to
outstanding depositary receipts until the expiration of 90 days after notice of
the amendment has been mailed to the record holders of outstanding depositary
receipts.
Charges
of Preferred Stock Depository
Except
for taxes, transfer taxes, governmental charges and any other charges that are
expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be at the expense of holders of
depositary receipts or persons depositing preferred stock, we will pay all
charges of the preferred stock depositary including charges in connection
with:
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the
initial deposit of the preferred stock;
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the
initial issuance of the depositary receipts;
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the
distribution of information to the holders of depositary receipts with
respect to matters on which preferred stock is entitled to
vote;
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withdrawals
of the preferred stock by the holders of depositary receipts;
and
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redemption
or conversion of the preferred
stock.
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DESCRIPTION
OF WARRANTS
The
following description, together with the additional information we may include
in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and
provisions of the warrants that we may offer under this prospectus and the
related warrant agreements and warrant certificates. While the terms summarized
below will apply generally to any warrants that we may offer under this
prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any series of warrants that
we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we
indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of any warrants offered under
that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. However,
no prospectus supplement shall fundamentally change the terms that are set forth
in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in
this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. Specific warrant agreements
will contain additional important terms and provisions and will be incorporated
by reference as an exhibit to the registration statement that includes this
prospectus or as an exhibit to a report filed under the Exchange
Act.
General
We will
describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of
warrants, including:
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the
offering price and aggregate number of warrants
offered;
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the
currency for which the warrants may be purchased;
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if
applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which the
warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each such
security or each principal amount of such security;
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if
applicable, the date on and after which the warrants and the related
securities will be separately transferable;
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in
the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the
number of shares of common stock or preferred stock, as the case may be,
purchasable upon the exercise of one warrant and the price at which these
shares may be purchased upon such exercise;
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the
effect of any merger, consolidation, sale or other disposition of our
business on the warrant agreements and the warrants;
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the
terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;
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any
provisions for changes to or adjustments in the exercise price or number
of securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;
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the
dates on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and
expire;
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the
manner in which the warrant agreements and warrants may be
modified;
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federal
income tax consequences of holding or exercising the
warrants;
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the
terms of the securities issuable upon exercise of the warrants;
and
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any
other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of or
restrictions on the warrants.
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Before
exercising their warrants, holders of warrants will not have any of the rights
of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise,
including:
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in
the case of warrants to purchase common stock or preferred stock, the
right to receive dividends, if any, or, payments upon our liquidation,
dissolution or winding up or to exercise voting rights, if
any..
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Exercise
of Warrants
Each
warrant will entitle the holder to purchase the securities that we specify in
the applicable prospectus supplement at the exercise price that we describe in
the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the
applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the
warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set
forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on
the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.
Holders
of the warrants may exercise the warrants by delivering the warrant certificate
representing the warrants to be exercised together with specified information,
and paying the required amount to the warrant agent in immediately available
funds, as provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. We will set forth on
the reverse side of the warrant certificate and in the applicable prospectus
supplement the information that the holder of the warrant will be required to
deliver to the warrant agent.
Upon
receipt of the required payment and the warrant certificate properly completed
and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any
other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will issue
and deliver the securities purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of
the warrants represented by the warrant certificate are exercised, then we will
issue a new warrant certificate for the remaining amount of warrants. If we so
indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may
surrender securities as all or part of the exercise price for
warrants.
Governing
Law
The
warrants and warrant agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of New York.
Enforceability
of Rights by Holders of Warrants
Each
warrant agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable warrant
agreement and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust
with any holder of any warrant. A single bank or trust company may act as
warrant agent for more than one issue of warrants. A warrant agent will have no
duty or responsibility in case of any default by us under the applicable warrant
agreement or warrant, including any duty or responsibility to initiate any
proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any demand upon us. Any holder of a
warrant may, without the consent of the related warrant agent or the holder of
any other warrant, enforce by appropriate legal action its right to exercise,
and receive the securities purchasable upon exercise of, its
warrants.
DESCRIPTION
OF RIGHTS
The
following description, together with the additional information we may include
in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and
provisions of the rights that we may offer under this prospectus and the related
rights agreements. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any
rights that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular
terms of any series of rights that we may offer in more detail in the applicable
prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of
any rights offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms
described below. However, no prospectus supplement shall fundamentally change
the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not
registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.
Specific rights agreements will contain additional important terms and
provisions and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the
registration statement that includes this prospectus or as an exhibit to a
report filed under the Exchange Act.
General
We may
issue rights to purchase common stock, preferred stock or other securities.
These rights may be issued independently or together with any other security
offered hereby and may or may not be transferable by the stockholder receiving
the rights in such offering. In connection with any offering of such rights, we
may enter into a standby arrangement with one or more underwriters or other
purchasers pursuant to which the underwriters or other purchasers may be
required to purchase any securities remaining unsubscribed for after such
offering.
Each
series of rights will be issued under a separate rights agreement which we will
enter into with a bank or trust company, as rights agent, all as set forth in
the applicable prospectus supplement. The rights agent will act solely as our
agent in connection with the certificates relating to the rights and will not
assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holders of
rights certificates or beneficial owners of rights. We will file the rights
agreement and the rights certificates relating to each series of rights with the
SEC, and incorporate them by reference as an exhibit to the registration
statement of which this prospectus is a part on or before the time we issue a
series of rights.
We will
describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of
rights, including:
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the
date of determining the stockholders entitled to the rights
distribution;
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the
number of rights issued or to be issued to each
stockholder;
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the
exercise price payable for each share of common stock, preferred stock or
other securities upon the exercise of the rights;
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the
number and terms of the shares of common stock, preferred stock or other
securities which may be purchased per each right;
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the
extent to which the rights are transferable;
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the
date on which the holder’s ability to exercise the rights shall commence,
and the date on which the rights shall expire;
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the
extent to which the rights may include an over-subscription privilege with
respect to unsubscribed securities;
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if
applicable, the material terms of any standby underwriting or purchase
arrangement entered into by us in connection with the offering of such
rights; and
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any
other terms of the rights, including the terms, procedures, conditions and
limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the
rights.
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The
description in the applicable prospectus supplement of any rights that we may
offer will not necessarily be complete and will be qualified in its entirety by
reference to the applicable rights certificate, which will be filed with the
SEC.
Exercise
of Rights
Each
right will entitle the holder of the right to purchase for cash such amount of
shares of common stock, preferred stock or other securities at such exercise
price as shall in each case be set forth in, or be determinable as set forth in,
the prospectus supplement relating to the rights offered thereby. Rights may be
exercised at any time up to the close of business on the expiration date for
such rights set forth in the prospectus supplement. After the close of business
on the expiration date, all unexercised rights will become
void.
Rights
may be exercised as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the
rights offered thereby. Upon receipt of payment and the rights certificate
properly completed and duly executed at the corporate trust office of the rights
agent or any other office indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will
forward, as soon as practicable, the shares of common stock, preferred stock or
other securities purchasable upon such exercise. We may determine to offer any
unsubscribed offered securities directly to persons other than stockholders, to
or through agents, underwriters or dealers or through a combination of such
methods, including pursuant to standby underwriting arrangements, as set forth
in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Governing
Law
The
rights and rights agreements will be governed by and construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of New York.
DESCRIPTION
OF UNITS
The
following description, together with the additional information we may include
in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and
provisions of the units that we may offer under this prospectus and the related
unit agreements. While the terms summarized below will apply generally to any
units that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular
terms of any series of units that we may offer in more detail in the applicable
prospectus supplement. If we indicate in the prospectus supplement, the terms of
any units offered under that prospectus supplement may differ from the terms
described below. However, no prospectus supplement shall fundamentally change
the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not
registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness.
Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions
and will be incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the registration
statement that includes this prospectus or as an exhibit to a report filed under
the Exchange Act.
General
We may
issue units comprised of one or more shares of common stock, shares of preferred
stock and warrants in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the
holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit.
Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of
each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may
provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred
separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.
We will
describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of
units, including:
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the
designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the
units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may
be held or transferred separately;
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any
provisions of the governing unit agreement that differ from those
described below; and
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any
provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of
the units or of the securities comprising the
units.
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The
provisions described in this section, as well as those described under
“Description of Capital Stock” and “Description of Warrants” will apply to each
unit and to any common stock, preferred stock, debt security or warrant included
in each unit, respectively.
Issuance
in Series
We may
issue units in such amounts and in numerous distinct series as we
determine.
Enforceability
of Rights by Holders of Units
Each unit
agent will act solely as our agent under the applicable unit agreement and will
not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust with any holder of
any unit. A single bank or trust company may act as unit agent for more than one
series of units. A unit agent will have no duty or responsibility in case of any
default by us under the applicable unit agreement or unit, including any duty or
responsibility to initiate any proceedings at law or otherwise, or to make any
demand upon us. Any holder of a unit may, without the consent of the related
unit agent or the holder of any other unit, enforce by appropriate legal action
its rights as holder under any security included in the unit.
Title
The
Company, the unit agents and any of their agents may treat the registered holder
of any unit certificate as an absolute owner of the units evidenced by that
certificate for any purpose and as the person entitled to exercise the rights
attaching to the units so requested, despite any notice to the
contrary.
LEGAL
OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
We can
issue securities in registered form or in the form of one or more global
securities. We describe global securities in greater detail below. We refer to
those persons who have securities registered in their own names on the books
that we or any applicable trustee maintain for this purpose as the “holders” of
those securities. These persons are the legal holders of the securities. We
refer to those persons who, indirectly through others, own beneficial interests
in securities that are not registered in their own names, as “indirect holders”
of those securities. As we discuss below, indirect holders are not legal
holders, and investors in securities issued in book-entry form or in street name
will be indirect holders.
Book-Entry
Holders
We may
issue securities in book-entry form only, as we will specify in the applicable
prospectus supplement. This means securities may be represented by one or more
global securities registered in the name of a financial institution that holds
them as depositary on behalf of other financial institutions that participate in
the depositary’s book-entry system. These participating institutions, which are
referred to as participants, in turn, hold beneficial interests in the
securities on behalf of themselves or their customers.
Only the
person in whose name a security is registered is recognized as the holder of
that security. Securities issued in global form will be registered in the name
of the depositary or its nominee. Consequently, for securities issued in global
form, we will recognize only the depositary as the holder of the securities, and
we will make all payments on the securities to the depositary. The depositary
passes along the payments it receives to its participants, which in turn pass
the payments along to their customers who are the beneficial owners. The
depositary and its participants do so under agreements they have made with one
another or with their customers; they are not obligated to do so under the terms
of the securities.
As a
result, investors in a book-entry security will not own securities directly.
Instead, they will own beneficial interests in a global security, through a
bank, broker or other financial institution that participates in the
depositary’s book-entry system or holds an interest through a participant. As
long as the securities are issued in global form, investors will be indirect
holders, and not holders, of the securities.
Street
Name Holders
We may
terminate a global security or issue securities in non-global form. In these
cases, investors may choose to hold their securities in their own names or in
“street name.” Securities held by an investor in street name would be registered
in the name of a bank, broker or other financial institution that the investor
chooses, and the investor would hold only a beneficial interest in those
securities through an account he or she maintains at that
institution.
For
securities held in street name, we will recognize only the intermediary banks,
brokers and other financial institutions in whose names the securities are
registered as the holders of those securities, and we will make all payments on
those securities to them. These institutions pass along the payments they
receive to their customers who are the beneficial owners, but only because they
agree to do so in their customer agreements or because they are legally required
to do so. Investors who hold securities in street name will be indirect holders,
not holders, of those securities.
Legal
Holders
Our
obligations, as well as the obligations of any applicable trustee and of any
third parties employed by us or a trustee, run only to the legal holders of the
securities. We do not have obligations to investors who hold beneficial
interests in global securities, in street name or by any other indirect means.
This will be the case whether an investor chooses to be an indirect holder of a
security or has no choice because we are issuing the securities only in global
form.
For
example, once we make a payment or give a notice to the holder, we have no
further responsibility for the payment or notice even if that holder is
required, under agreements with depositary participants or customers or by law,
to pass it along to the indirect holders but does not do so. Similarly, we may
want to obtain the approval of the holders to amend an indenture, to relieve us
of the consequences of a default or of our obligation to comply with a
particular provision of the indenture or for other purposes. In such an event,
we would seek approval only from the holders, and not the indirect holders, of
the securities. Whether and how the holders contact the indirect holders is up
to the holders.
Special
Considerations for Indirect Holders
If you
hold securities through a bank, broker or other financial institution, either in
book-entry form or in street name, you should check with your own institution to
find out:
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how
it handles securities payments and notices;
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whether
it imposes fees or charges;
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how
it would handle a request for the holders’ consent, if ever
required;
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whether
and how you can instruct it to send you securities registered in your own
name so you can be a holder, if that is permitted in the
future;
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how
it would exercise rights under the securities if there were a default or
other event triggering the need for holders to act to protect their
interests; and
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if
the securities are in book-entry form, how the depositary’s rules and
procedures will affect these
matters.
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Global
Securities
A global
security is a security that represents one or any other number of individual
securities held by a depositary. Generally, all securities represented by the
same global securities will have the same terms.
Each
security issued in book-entry form will be represented by a global security that
we deposit with and register in the name of a financial institution or its
nominee that we select. The financial institution that we select for this
purpose is called the depositary. Unless we specify otherwise in the applicable
prospectus supplement, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, known
as DTC, will be the depositary for all securities issued in book-entry
form.
A global
security may not be transferred to or registered in the name of anyone other
than the depositary, its nominee or a successor depositary, unless special
termination situations arise. We describe those situations below under “Special
Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated.” As a result of these
arrangements, the depositary, or its nominee, will be the sole registered owner
and holder of all securities represented by a global security, and investors
will be permitted to own only beneficial interests in a global security.
Beneficial interests must be held by means of an account with a broker, bank or
other financial institution that in turn has an account with the depositary or
with another institution that does. Thus, an investor whose security is
represented by a global security will not be a holder of the security, but only
an indirect holder of a beneficial interest in the global security.
If the
prospectus supplement for a particular security indicates that the security will
be issued in global form only, then the security will be represented by a global
security at all times unless and until the global security is terminated. If
termination occurs, we may issue the securities through another book-entry
clearing system or decide that the securities may no longer be held through any
book-entry clearing system.
Special
Considerations for Global Securities
As an
indirect holder, an investor’s rights relating to a global security will be
governed by the account rules of the investor’s financial institution and of the
depositary, as well as general laws relating to securities transfers. We do not
recognize an indirect holder as a holder of securities and instead deal only
with the depositary that holds the global security.
If
securities are issued only in the form of a global security, an investor should
be aware of the following:
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An
investor cannot cause the securities to be registered in his or her name,
and cannot obtain non-global certificates for his or her interest in the
securities, except in the special situations we describe
below;
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An
investor will be an indirect holder and must look to his or her own bank
or broker for payments on the securities and protection of his or her
legal rights relating to the securities, as we describe
above;
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An
investor may not be able to sell interests in the securities to some
insurance companies and to other institutions that are required by law to
own their securities in non-book-entry form;
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An
investor may not be able to pledge his or her interest in a global
security in circumstances where certificates representing the securities
must be delivered to the lender or other beneficiary of the pledge in
order for the pledge to be effective;
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The
depositary’s policies, which may change from time to time, will govern
payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to an investor’s
interest in a global security. We and any applicable trustee have no
responsibility for any aspect of the depositary’s actions or for its
records of ownership interests in a global security. We and the trustee
also do not supervise the depositary in any way;
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The
depositary may, and we understand that DTC will, require that those who
purchase and sell interests in a global security within its book-entry
system use immediately available funds, and your broker or bank may
require you to do so as well; and
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Financial
institutions that participate in the depositary’s book-entry system, and
through which an investor holds its interest in a global security, may
also have their own policies affecting payments, notices and other matters
relating to the securities. There may be more than one financial
intermediary in the chain of ownership for an investor. We do not monitor
and are not responsible for the actions of any of those
intermediaries.
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Special
Situations When a Global Security Will Be Terminated
In a few
special situations described below, the global security will terminate and
interests in it will be exchanged for physical certificates representing those
interests. After that exchange, the choice of whether to hold securities
directly or in street name will be up to the investor. Investors must consult
their own banks or brokers to find out how to have their interests in securities
transferred to their own name, so that they will be direct holders. We have
described the rights of holders and street name investors above.
The
global security will terminate when the following special situations
occur:
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if
the depositary notifies us that it is unwilling, unable or no longer
qualified to continue as depositary for that global security and we do not
appoint another institution to act as depositary within 90
days;
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if
we notify any applicable trustee that we wish to terminate that global
security; or
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if
an event of default has occurred with regard to securities represented by
that global security and has not been cured or
waived.
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The
prospectus supplement may also list additional situations for terminating a
global security that would apply only to the particular series of securities
covered by the prospectus supplement. When a global security terminates, the
depositary, and not we or any applicable trustee, is responsible for deciding
the names of the institutions that will be the initial direct
holders.
PLAN
OF DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the securities covered by
this prospectus from time to time. Registration of the securities covered by
this prospectus does not mean, however, that those securities will necessarily
be offered or sold.
We
may sell the securities separately or together:
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through
one or more underwriters or dealers in a public offering and sale by
them;
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directly
to investors; or
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We may
sell the securities from time to time:
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in
one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed
from time to time;
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at
market prices prevailing at the times of
sale;
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at
prices related to such prevailing market prices;
or
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We will
describe the method of distribution of the securities and the terms of the
offering in the prospectus supplement.
If
underwriters are used in the sale of any securities, the securities will be
acquired by the underwriters for their own account and may be resold from time
to time in one or more transactions described above. The securities may be
either offered to the public through underwriting syndicates represented by
managing underwriters, or directly by underwriters. Generally, the underwriters'
obligations to purchase the securities will be subject to conditions precedent
and the underwriters will be obligated to purchase all of the securities if they
purchase any of the securities.
We may
authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain
purchasers to purchase the securities from us at the public offering price set
forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts
providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. The
contracts will be subject only to those conditions set forth in the prospectus
supplement, and the prospectus supplement will set forth any commissions we pay
for solicitation of these contracts.
We may
enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not
covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated
transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection
with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this
prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale
transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or
borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related
open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement
of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The
third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and will be
identified in the applicable prospectus supplement or in a post-effective
amendment.
Underwriters,
dealers and agents may be entitled to indemnification by us against certain
civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to
contribution with respect to payments made by the underwriters, dealers or
agents, under agreements between us and the underwriters, dealers and
agents.
We may
grant underwriters who participate in the distribution of securities an option
to purchase additional securities in connection with the
distribution.
Underwriters,
dealers or agents may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions
or commissions from us or our purchasers, as their agents in connection with the
sale of securities. These underwriters, dealers or agents may be considered to
be underwriters under the Securities Act. As a result, discounts, commissions or
profits on resale received by the underwriters, dealers or agents may be treated
as underwriting discounts and commissions. The prospectus supplement will
identify any such underwriter, dealer or agent and describe any compensation
received by them from us. Any public offering price and any discounts or
concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers may be changed from time to
time.
Shares of
our common stock are quoted on the NYSE Amex LLC. Unless otherwise specified in
the related prospectus supplement, all securities we offer, other than common
stock, will be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any
underwriter may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to
do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We may
apply to list any series of preferred stock or warrants on an exchange, but we
are not obligated to do so. Therefore, there may not be liquidity or a trading
market for any series of securities.
Any
underwriter may engage in overallotment transactions, stabilizing transactions,
short-covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M
under the Exchange Act. Overallotment involves sales in excess of the offering
size, which create a short position. Stabilizing transactions permit bids to
purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a
specified maximum. Short covering transactions involve purchases of the
securities in the open market after the distribution is completed to cover short
positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession
from a dealer when the securities originally sold by the dealer are purchased in
a covering transaction to cover short positions. Those activities may cause the
price of the securities to be higher than it would otherwise be. If commenced,
the underwriters may discontinue any of the activities at any time. We make no
representation or prediction as to the direction or magnitude of any effect that
such transactions may have on the price of the securities.
Underwriters,
dealers or agents who may become involved in the sale of our securities may
engage in transactions with and perform other services for us in the ordinary
course of their business for which they receive compensation.
LEGAL
MATTERS
The
validity of the securities offered in this pros
pectus will be passed upon for us by McLaughlin &
Stern, LLP, New York and Gordon Law Group, Nevada.
EXPERTS
The
financial statements of China Marine for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2008, have been incorporated by reference herein and
in the registration statement. Our financial statements for the year
ended December 31, 2008 are incorporated by reference in reliance on the reports
of ZYCPA Company Limited (formerly Zhong Yi (Hong Kong) C.P.A. Company Limited),
independent registered public accounting firm, and upon the authority of said
firm as experts in accounting and auditing. Our financial statements
for the year ended December 31, 2007 are incorporated by reference in reliance
on the reports of Cordovano and Honeck, LLP, independent registered public
accounting firm, and upon the authority of said firm as experts in accounting
and auditing.
Grafico Azioni China Marine Food (CE) (USOTC:CMFO)
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Da Mag 2024 a Giu 2024
Grafico Azioni China Marine Food (CE) (USOTC:CMFO)
Storico
Da Giu 2023 a Giu 2024