The Atlantic Canada Aquaculture Studio has launched in St John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, bringing together 10 early-stage aquaculture, aquatech and marine biotechnology companies from across the region for a nine-month programme designed to transform promising technologies into investable, market-ready businesses.
The programme, run by Hatch Blue with Oceans Advance, has support from the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, together with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. Participation is free and no equity is taken.
The inaugural cohort represents innovation across the aquaculture value chain, from feed and animal health to emissions reduction, water treatment and marine circularity.
Cohort companies:
- Smallfood (Nova Scotia) – precision-fermentation producing protein- and DHA-rich microalgae biomass as a feed ingredient
- Atlantic BioCorp (Newfoundland and Labrador) – pigmented protein feed additive from Northern shrimp biomass as an alternative to synthetic astaxanthin
- EVAH Atlantic (Prince Edward Island) – RESETtx, an in‑feed sea lice treatment for Atlantic salmon, now in field trials
- Acuicy (Nova Scotia) – climate-fintech software modelling decarbonisation pathways and CAPEX
- Clean Valley (Nova Scotia) – algae biofilter for wastewater treatment from land-based aquaculture
- Mekapisk EnviroBlu Solutions (Newfoundland and Labrador) – biodegradable industrial cleaner for marine and industrial sectors
- FinLeaf Technologies (Nova Scotia) – converts solid aquaculture waste into phosphorus-rich biostimulant fertilisers
- NL Marine Organics (Newfoundland and Labrador) – biorefines fish‑hydrolysate fertiliser from mortality and processing waste
- HoldfastNL (Newfoundland and Labrador) – kelp‑based liquid agricultural biostimulants
- BioLabMate (Newfoundland and Labrador) – converts seaweed into thermoplastic bio‑resins for laboratory consumables
Shelly Petten, CEO of Oceans Advance, said: “Atlantic Canada has every ingredient needed to lead the next wave of global aquaculture innovation – world-class science, deep ocean expertise and a growing community of ambitious technology companies.”
Wayne Murphy, Co‑Founder & Partner of Hatch Blue, said: “Given the region’s rich blue economy heritage, we see fertile ground here for both aquatech innovation and top talent to scale it.”
The programme begins with a two‑week intensive in St John’s before continuing with structured support throughout the year. Founders receive one‑to‑one support from Hatch Blue’s team and mentors drawn from its global aquaculture network.
The studio closes with an invitation‑only forum, Innovate Aquaculture: the solutions shaping the future, on 23 July 2026 in St John’s.
