GOULDSBORO – Top executives from the biggest canned seafood company in North America met Friday with employees, fish suppliers and state lawmakers, including Gov. John Baldacci, during a celebration at the Stinson Seafood plant, the beneficiary of some $12 million in renovations over the past four years.

The governor toured the plant, regarded as the world’s most modernized sardine cannery, and met with its new owners, Bumble Bee Seafoods LLC, which completed its merger with Connors Bros. Ltd. of New Brunswick last year to take over operations of the company’s facilities in Gouldsboro and Bath.

Over the past four years, the company invested millions to upgrade equipment in virtually all areas of the plant, including the places where herring are cut, steamed, sealed into containers and packed for shipping. It also dug two new wells, repaired the roof and improved the employee lunchrooms, restrooms, lockers and offices.

On Friday, officials gathered to show off their new machinery and celebrate Bumble Bee’s commitment to the Gouldsboro plant.

“Maine is a great place to live and vacation but it is also a great place to set up shop. I think Bumble Bee recognizes that opportunity,” Baldacci said.

Shortly after the governor arrived at the plant, he met behind closed doors for about 15 minutes with Bumble Bee president and chief executive Christopher D. Lischewski.

Lischewski said the investment in the facility “places Stinson firmly back on the map of sardine production.” But he also acknowledged the challenges of ensuring an adequate supply of fish.

The Gulf of Maine has never yielded enough herring to support the plant’s operations, he said. For that reason, the company buys from trawlers as far south as New Jersey and imports supplies from Canada.

When it purchased the plant in 2001, Bumble Bee signed a consent decree with the state that required the company to stay in Maine for 10 years and produce a minimum of 575,000 cases of sardines in each of those years. The company failed to meet the minimum and renegotiated to 500,000 cases, extending the agreement by two years. It failed again, and negotiated a third time. The current agreement requires the plant to produce 450,000 cases a year and stay in Maine until 2013.

Last year, it produced 310,000 cases of sardines. Each case holds 100 cans.

Lischewski said he is confident the crew can reach the new production target, as long as the herring supply is adequate and the work force is available.

“We could probably do double that number of cases here,” he said.

Company officials say their efforts to automate operations have not reduced the work force. Plant manager Peter Colson said there are 130 employees at the Gouldsboro plant and he is looking for a few more.

“I could use another half dozen people,” he said.

Also on Friday, company officials handed over to Town Manager Bradford Vassey the deed for land where the town plans to build a new fishing pier. The pier will be primarily for commercial fishermen but also will be open to recreational users. The land, which was donated by Stinson, is right next to the plant.