Aquaculture research company Onda has opened a satellite location in Brazil that will allow it to expand its services and include work with whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). The extension will be conducted in collaboration with an aquaculture facility in the South American country.
The move will see Prince Edward Island-headquartered Onda conduct trials aim to evaluate key performance indicators in the species such as hatch success, growth rate, feed efficiency, survival rate and disease resistance, with the aim to help the industry build more resilient stock and sustainable practices to enhance food security and meet growing global demand.
Trials will focus on evaluating different feed formulations and ingredients to determine the impact on shrimp performance and growth rates to allow clients to enhance shrimp survival, reduce environmental impact and improve the profitability in aquaculture operations.
Onda also intends to expand into health trials at the new facility.
In partnering with an external facility, Onda said it can leverage its expertise in aquaculture research while benefiting from its partner’s advanced infrastructure. It also noted the collaboration will allow it to design and execute trials with a species that’s challenging to import into Canada.
”After many years of development and securing reliable supply, we are very excited to expand our services in health and nutrition to include shrimp, the largest category by production in aquaculture,” Onda CEO Myrna Gillis said.
