Technology · Agri-food systems / Livestock & aquaculture
Aquaculture & fish farming
Farm-raised aquatic protein — Atlantic salmon net-pens, land-based recirculating (RAS) salmon, tropical Vannamei shrimp ponds and Chinese marine ranches — the fastest-growing food-production sector, now surpassing wild catch, with aquafeed as the cost and sustainability lever.
1 · What it gives
Aquaculture & fish farming is the farm-raised production of aquatic protein — Atlantic salmon in marine net-pens, land-based recirculating (RAS) salmon, tropical Vannamei shrimp ponds and Chinese marine ranches of scallops and sea cucumber. It has surpassed wild catch as the primary source of seafood and is the fastest-growing food-production sector on earth. Mowi, the world’s largest salmon farmer, turned over EUR 5.73 billion in 2025 on 559,000 tonnes of harvest and guides 605,000 tonnes for 2026 (~3.5 billion meals); aquafeed is the central cost and sustainability lever, with BioMar moving 1.56 million tonnes of feed in 2025. The US imports ~96% of its salmon, so land-based RAS aims to displace imports — though 2026 has exposed acute capital stress in that segment.
The key directions of aquaculture & fish farming are:
- Marine net-pen salmon farming (Net-Pen Salmon Farming): open-ocean pens in Norway, Chile, Scotland, Canada — Mowi farms 7 regions and expects 605,000 t in 2026 (+8.3% YoY).
- Land-based recirculating aquaculture (RAS) salmon (RAS Land-Based Salmon): indoor closed-loop tanks near end-markets — Atlantic Sapphire’s Bluehouse in Homestead FL is the world’s largest, targeting 25,000 t in Phase 2.
- Tropical shrimp pond aquaculture (Tropical Shrimp Ponds): Litopenaeus vannamei in India, Ecuador, China — India’s Avanti Feeds sold 16,976 t of processed shrimp in FY26 (+20%) and BioMar’s shrimp feed grew 31%.
- Marine ranching & restoration aquaculture (Marine Ranching): seabed ranching of scallops, sea cucumber, abalone — Zhangzidao holds 2,000 km² of sea area, including Asia’s largest national marine-ranch demonstration zone.
Sectoral value chain#
[broodstock & smolt] ──> [aquafeed] ──> [grow-out farming] ──> [harvest & primary]
│
(net-pen / RAS / pond / marine ranch)
│
▼
[retail & export] <─── [value-added & prefab] <─────┘
Value chain levels#
| Level | Description | Key inputs/outputs |
|---|---|---|
| Broodstock & Hatchery | selective breeding, eggs/fry/smolt | In: broodstock. Out: smolt, post-larvae. |
| Aquafeed Production | fishmeal/soy-based extruded feed | In: fishmeal, soymeal. Out: grower/finisher feed. |
| Grow-Out Farming | net-pen, RAS, pond or marine ranch | In: smolt + feed. Out: market-size fish/shrimp. |
| Harvest & Primary Processing | slaughter, heading, gutting (HOG) | In: live fish. Out: HOG product. |
| Value-Added & Prefab Processing | filleting, ready meals, prefabricated foods | In: HOG. Out: fillets, prefabs. |
| Cold-Chain Distribution & Export | chilled/frozen logistics | In: processed. Out: retail/foodservice. |
Cross-cutting technologies of the sector:
- Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS): land-based closed-loop water filtration enabling cold-water fish near end-markets, biosecure and zero-wild-contact.
- Extruded aquafeed with functional additives (Functional Aquafeed): phytocomplexes (Skretting Necto/Lorica) and immunonutrition to cut fishmeal dependence and antibiotics.
- Selective breeding & genomics (Selective Breeding): family-based breeding programs raising growth rate, disease resistance and feed-conversion ratio.
2 · What it replaces 6 · matched by industry
| D1E4 | Gas-fermented single-cell protein (methane, CO2 and industrial off-gas) instead of fishmeal and imported protein concentrates in feed Replaces: Fishmeal from reduction fisheries and imported soybean/rapeseed protein concentrates in compound feed (as a formula share) | FEED |
| D3E– | Shrimp farming with biofloc technology, Bacillus probiotics and specific-pathogen-free (SPF) broodstock instead of antibiotics and pond chemicals Replaces: Prophylactic antibiotics in shrimp ponds and hatcheries (oxytetracycline, enrofloxacin; illegal chloramphenicol and nitrofurans), … | FEED |
| D0E– | Bacteriophage therapy for bacterial disease in fish and shrimp farming instead of medicated-feed antibiotics Replaces: Antibiotics in medicated feed and bath treatments - oxytetracycline, florfenicol, oxolinic acid, enrofloxacin, sulfonamide-trimethoprim … | VET |
| D1E– | Fish louse (Argulus) control in ponds and lakes with egg-laying substrate boards, pond drying/liming and biological management — instead of organophosphate treatments Replaces: Organophosphates in pond water (trichlorfon/metrifonate, dichlorvos), pyrethroids (deltamethrin) and emamectin used against Argulus and … | SERV |
| D3E– | Fish vaccination (plus biosecurity and probiotics) instead of prophylactic/metaphylactic antibiotics in finfish aquaculture Replaces: Oxytetracycline, florfenicol, oxolinic acid, flumequine, enrofloxacin, sulfonamide–trimethoprim added to fish feed; illegal chloramphenicol … | VET |
| D1E– | Insect meal, single-cell protein and algal ingredients instead of fishmeal and soybean meal in feed Replaces: Fishmeal from reduction fisheries (anchoveta, sandeel); soybean meal from deforestation frontiers (with antinutritional factors and … | FEED |
3 · How to implement 6 steps
- 1Broodstock & smolt productionSelective-breeding programs supply eggs and fry; Mowi and Skretting run family-based nucleus herds lifting growth rate and disease resistance, producing smolt for sea transfer and post-larvae for shrimp ponds.
- 2Aquafeed manufactureContract manufacturing (CMO/CDMO)Extruded feed blends fishmeal, soymeal and functional additives; BioMar and Skretting each move well over a million tonnes a year, with Skretting’s EDGEOS PhytoComplexes and Necto/Lorica health diets cutting fishmeal and antibiotic dependence.Who can do this step matched automatically450,000 tons/year“They control the entire life cycle from feed to processing and emphasize sustainable practices and B2B OEM/private-label growth alongside the Sa Giang consumer brand.”“Aum Enzymes (aumenzymes.com) is a small, unfunded enzyme manufacturer in India (Anand; LinkedIn also lists Borsad) producing industrial enzymes and custom enzyme solutions via …”Cell AgriTech Malaysia5,000 L industrial scale“At Cell AgriTech, we position ourselves as Asia’s first dedicated CDMO for cultivated meat and plant cell culture.”
- 3Grow-out farmingSmolt reach market size in marine net-pens (Mowi, 12–18 months), indoor RAS tanks (Atlantic Sapphire) or tropical shrimp ponds (Avanti, Guolian) and marine ranches (Zhangzidao); biology — algae blooms, disease — remains the swing factor.
- 4Harvest & primary processingFish are slaughtered and processed to head-on-gutted (HOG) form; Mowi’s Q1 2026 harvest of 136,477 t was a record for the quarter, while Atlantic Sapphire reached an average HOG weight of 3.2 kg.
- 5Value-added & prefab processingHOG product is filleted, portioned or turned into prefabricated ready meals; Mowi Consumer Products moved 70,000 t in Q1 2026 (+21%), and Guolian is pivoting its shrimp into 虾王传奇-style prefabricated seafood for foodservice.
- 6Cold-chain distribution & exportDistribution & market accessChilled/frozen product reaches retail and foodservice; Avanti ships ~68% of processed shrimp to North America, Mowi’s geographic mix is Europe 67.9% / Americas 20.5% / Asia 9%, and China imports >900,000 t of shrimp a year to close its domestic gap.Who can do this step matched automaticallyAlgaetech International Malaysia16,483 t“distributors and wholesalers for distribution in foreign countries.”
4 · Who delivers
Matched suppliers (matched automatically)
| Mowi | Norway | Producer | active |
| BioMar | Denmark | Not classified | active |
| Thai Union | Thailand | Producer | active |
| AquaGen | Norway | Research / RTO | active |
| Cooke Aquaculture | Canada | Producer | active |
Listed suppliers
In the services and supply catalogue 1 · paid service
Leading companies and institutes (from the brief)
India anchors the tropical-shrimp export trade through Avanti Feeds (BSE:512573), a vertically integrated “farm-to-fork” operator collaborating with Thai Union; FY26 consolidated revenue reached ₹6,066 crore (+8%) with net profit ₹657 crore and an operating margin that expanded to 12% (from 9% in FY24), on 567,986 t of feed and 16,976 t of processed shrimp (+20%, ~68% of it to North America), nearly debt-free with ROCE 22.3%.
| Company / Institute | Country | Key products / platforms | Tech features | Status 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mowi | 🇳🇴 Norway | Atlantic salmon, feed, consumer products | 605,000 t 2026 guidance, 7 regions | Commercial |
| Skretting | 🇳🇴 Norway | Necto/Lorica aquafeed | -40% Scope 1+2, Mowi NOK 650M deal | Commercial |
| BioMar Group | 🇩🇰 Denmark | salmon & shrimp aquafeed | 1.56M t 2025, IPO Nasdaq CPH May 2026 | Commercial |
| Atlantic Sapphire | 🇺🇸 USA | Bluehouse land-based salmon | world’s largest RAS, restructuring | Operating |
| Avanti Feeds | 🇮🇳 India | Vannamei shrimp feed & processing | FY26 ₹6,066cr, Thai Union partner | Commercial |
| Guolian Aquatic | 🇨🇳 China | shrimp/tilapia prefab foods | ¥3.19bn 2025, debt-ratio 96% | Operating |
| Benchmark Genetics | 🇳🇴 Norway | SalmoBreed Atlantic salmon ova | Genomic selection; CMS-resistance gains 2026 | Commercial |
| Salmones Camanchaca | 🇨🇱 Chile | Atlantic & Coho salmon, vertically integrated | FY25 EBITDA USD 67.7M (+38%); SRS pressure Q1'26 | Commercial |
| Thai Union Feedmill | 🇹🇭 Thailand | shrimp & fish feed (SET:TFM) | FY25 sales THB 6.0bn (+12.5%); THB 10bn 2030 target | Commercial |
5 · Rules & route to market
Route into Russia / EAEU: FEED · Rosselkhoznadzor (expertise by VGNKI)
state registration within 45 working days after acceptance of documents (plus dossier and tests)
Information, not legal advice — confirm the procedure for your product. (2026-10-06)
state registration within 45 working days after acceptance of documents (plus dossier and tests)
Information, not legal advice — confirm the procedure for your product. (2026-10-06)
United States
The US is the world’s largest salmon consumer yet imports ~96% of its supply — making land-based RAS and genetic innovation the import-displacement bets, though 2026 has been brutal for both.
land-based RAS salmon scale-up, GE-salmon market rejection, capital stress#
- Atlantic Sapphire (Bluehouse): the world’s largest land-based salmon farm in Homestead, FL (founded 2010), Phase-1 capacity 7,500–8,500 t/yr; Q1 2026 harvest 1,504 t HOG (+27% QoQ) at USD 9.32/kg — but the company entered a restructuring agreement in May 2026 after a $10M bridge loan (12% interest, 15% origination fee) and faces proposed delisting from Oslo Børs.
- AquaBounty Technologies (NASDAQ:AQB): its AquAdvantage GE salmon — the first genetically engineered food animal, FDA-approved in 2015 — was rejected by 80+ retailers (Walmart, Costco, Sodexo, Aramark) and AquaBounty shut its last farm (Bay Fortune, PEI) in December 2024; Q1 2026 net loss $1.2M on $441k cash, with cumulative losses of $389M and a going-concern warning.
- Takeaway: the US import-displacement thesis is intact strategically but unproven financially — RAS capital intensity and consumer rejection of GE fish have so far blocked commercial scale.
European Union
Europe is the profitable core of global salmon farming and aquafeed, with Norwegian incumbents posting records and a major feed IPO in 2026.
salmon incumbency + record profitability, feed consolidation + IPO, Mowi–Skretting integration#
- Mowi ASA (OSE:MOWI): the world’s largest salmon farmer; 2025 record turnover EUR 5.73 bn on 559,000 t (+11.4%), full-year operational EBIT EUR 727M (ROCE 13.3%); Q1 2026 revenue EUR 1,544.2M (+14%) and harvest 136,477 t (+26%); 2026 harvest guidance 605,000 t and feed sales guidance 650,000 t (+11%).
- Skretting (Nutreco): launched Necto, Lorica and Optiline health diets with EDGEOS PhytoComplexes; cut Scope 1+2 emissions 40% (vs 2018) and feeds ~25M seafood meals/day; its December 2025 feed partnership with Mowi is targeted to save Mowi >NOK 650M/yr.
- BioMar Group (CPH:BIOMAR): the world’s #3 aquafeed producer by volume; 2025 feed volume 1.56M t (+13%, shrimp +31%) on revenue DKK 16.53 bn ($2.42 bn) and ROIC 23.6%; IPO on Nasdaq Copenhagen on 28 May 2026 at DKK 108/share (market cap DKK 10.85 bn), the sector’s flagship 2026 capital-markets event.
- Benchmark Genetics (Norway/Iceland/UK): supplies disease-free Atlantic salmon ova to the global industry every week of the year from its SalmoBreed program — 25 years old in 2026 — and reported in February 2026 that cross-generational genomic selection markedly raised resistance to cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), one of the most economically damaging viral diseases in salmon farming.
China
China is the world’s largest aquaculture producer by volume, but its listed leaders are in deep restructuring as shrimp/tilapia prices stay depressed.
shrimp/tilapia processing scale, marine-ranching restructuring, prefab-seafood pivot#
- Guolian Aquatic (国联水产, SZSE:300094): China’s shrimp/tilapia processing leader (Zhanjiang); 2025 revenue ¥3.19 bn (-6.45%) with a net loss of -¥1.631 bn as the aqua-food margin collapsed to -6.35% (from 9.95%) and debt ratio hit 95.99%; pivoting to prefabricated seafood (虾王传奇, 文和友 partnership) and secured ~¥100M from the Zhanjiang Marine No.1 fund.
- Zhangzidao (獐子岛, SZSE:002069): Dalian state-controlled marine-ranch operator; 2025 revenue ¥1.278 bn (-19.25%) but the net loss narrowed 50.91% to -¥10.76M and Q1 2026 returned to profit; its Yezo scallop core held at ¥219M (-1.64%) across a 2,000 km² sea area including 940 km² of Asia’s largest national marine-ranch demonstration zone; 2026 target ≥¥1.7 bn revenue and positive net profit.
- Market context: China’s 2026 Vannamei output is projected to exceed 2.6 million tonnes with imports over 900,000 t, keeping domestic shrimp prices under pressure.
6 · Money: tenders & grants
| Grant | AI supporting informed advice for farmers and foresters to improve competitiveness and sustainability European Commission · EU | May 11, 2027 207 days |
| Grant | Carbon farming innovation and scale-up European Commission · EU | Sep 23, 2027 342 days |
| Grant | Development of cell-free protein synthesis platforms for discovery and/or production of biologicals European Commission · EU | Apr 13, 2027 179 days |
| Grant | Health of ecosystems and wild species, predictions and impacts on human health, in the face of existing and … European Commission · EU | Sep 22, 2027 341 days |
| Grant | Improving analytical capacity for sustainable competitiveness of the agricultural sector European Commission · EU | May 11, 2027 207 days |
Public R&D projects 12
Publicly funded research projects (US NSF, and EU, UK and other funders via OpenAIRE) whose title names this technology — matched by title, not reviewed; amounts as awarded, in the funder's currency. all funded projects →
7 · Tech stack & innovations
The stack rests on three production platforms: marine net-pens, land-based RAS, and tropical ponds/marine ranches.
- Marine net-pen salmon farming (Net-Pen Salmon Farming):
- circular open-ocean pens grow salmon from smolt to ~5 kg across 12–18 months in Norway, Chile, Scotland, Canada and the Faroes.
- case: Mowi farms seven regions, with Q1 2026 EBIT/kg of EUR 2.40 (Norway), EUR 1.50 (Scotland) and EUR 0.35 (Chile); blended farming cost fell to EUR 5.46/kg.
- Recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) on land (RAS Land-Based):
- indoor closed-loop tanks biofilter and reuse >99% of water, enabling cold-water salmon near the US consumer with zero wild contact; capital intensity is ~12× net-pen.
- case: Atlantic Sapphire’s Homestead Bluehouse drills to 1,200/1,800 ft for optimal salinity and ships ~300,000 lb/week — but Phase-1 economics are unproven, hence the May 2026 restructuring.
- Tropical shrimp pond & marine-ranch aquaculture (Pond & Marine Ranch):
- Vannamei shrimp ponds (India/Ecuador/China) and seabed marine ranches (China scallop/sea cucumber) rely on formulated feed and selective breeding.
- case: Avanti Feeds’ 16,976 t of processed shrimp (+20%) and Zhangzidao’s 2,000 km² marine-ranch footprint anchor the tropical/restoration segment.
Where this appears 8 sources
Appears in 8 distinct sources across 6 regions, 2014–2024.
- policy documents 8
Regions: Central and Eastern Europe · European Union · Mauritius · Mozambique · Poland · Portugal
- 2021: 11
- 2022: 0
- 2023: 11
- 2024: 33
- 2025: 0
- 2026: 0
- 2027: 0
Matched themes 3
Aquaculture aquicultura organic aquaculture
Themes from forum programmes, policy documents and reports are mapped to technologies automatically and then reviewed; counts are distinct sources, not mentions, and are not a ranking. data sources and method → · Trending, not yet covered →
Sources 11 · 0 independent · 11 producer sites
Producers' own sites 11
- Mowi producer checked 2026-05-13 · link not kept
- Skretting producer checked 2026-06-16 · link not kept
- Biomar producer checked 2026-05-28 · link not kept
- Atlantic sapphire producer checked 2026-06-09 · link not kept
- Aquabounty producer checked 2026-05-26 · link not kept
- Avanti feeds producer checked 2026-06-16 · link not kept
- Guolian aquatic producer checked 2026-06-23 · link not kept
- Zhangzidao producer checked 2026-06-23 · link not kept
- Benchmark genetics producer checked 2026-07-29 · link not kept
- Salmones camanchaca producer checked 2026-07-29 · link not kept
- Thai union feedmill producer checked 2026-07-29 · link not kept