AHI awarded nearly $750,000 to develop fish feeds
Acadia Harvest Inc. has been awarded a $744,000 National Science Foundation grant to continue developing innovative fish feeds for its land-based aquaculture business.
This is a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. In 2013, AHI secured a Phase I award of $270,000 from NSF for the same aquafeed project.
Acadia Harvest formed in 2011 to grow high-quality marine seafood using land-based, indoor production methods. In collaboration with the University of Maine Center for Cooperative Aquaculture Research (CCAR) facility in Franklin, Maine, AHI successfully developed experimental feed formulations and ran growth trials with California yellowtail and black sea bass.
As part of the project, AHI will develop species-specific feeds tailored to nutritional needs of its California yellowtail and black sea bass.
AHI also has been named a finalist in the international competition, Fish 2.0, slated for Nov. 10–11 in Palo Alto, California. In 2013, AHI was a semifinalist in the event that “builds the knowledge and connections needed to increase investment in the sustainable seafood sector.”