A new initiative aimed at accelerating aquaculture innovation in Atlantic Canada has officially launched in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, bringing together 10 promising startups working across aquaculture, aquaculture technology, and marine biotechnology.
The Atlantic Canada Aquaculture Innovation Studio, delivered by Hatch Blue in partnership with Oceans Advance, is a nine-month accelerator designed to help early-stage companies transform innovative ideas into market-ready, investment-ready businesses.
The program is supported by the Government of Canada through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, alongside the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. It begins with a two-week intensive workshop in St. John’s before continuing with tailored mentoring, business development, and commercialization support throughout the year. Participation is free, and founders retain full ownership of their companies.
Throughout the program, participating startups receive one-on-one guidance from Hatch Blue’s international network of aquaculture experts, investors, and industry mentors. The curriculum focuses on refining commercial strategies, developing industry partnerships, and preparing companies to secure investment. Participants also gain direct access to aquaculture producers, feed manufacturers, technology providers, investors, and regional innovation partners to help accelerate commercialization.
Diverse Innovations Across the Aquaculture Value Chain
The inaugural 2026 cohort reflects the diversity of innovation emerging across Atlantic Canada’s blue economy, covering sustainable feed ingredients, fish health, emissions reduction, wastewater treatment, waste valorization, and seaweed-based products.
The selected companies include:
- Smallfood (Nova Scotia), which produces protein- and DHA-rich microalgae through precision fermentation as a sustainable alternative to fishmeal and fish oil in aquafeeds.
- Atlantic BioCorp (Newfoundland and Labrador), developing a natural shrimp-derived feed additive to replace synthetic astaxanthin used to pigment farmed salmon.
- EVAH Atlantic (Prince Edward Island), creator of RESETtx, a novel in-feed treatment for sea lice in Atlantic salmon that is currently undergoing field trials.
- Acuicy (Nova Scotia), a climate-fintech platform that helps aquaculture producers measure emissions and evaluate the costs and returns of decarbonization strategies.
- Clean Valley (Nova Scotia), which has developed an algae-based biofilter capable of removing nutrients from land-based aquaculture wastewater while producing reusable algae biomass.
- Mekapisk EnviroBlu Solutions (Newfoundland and Labrador), producing biodegradable, water-based industrial cleaners suitable for marine, energy, and emerging aquaculture applications.
- FinLeaf Technologies (Nova Scotia), converting solid waste from recirculating aquaculture systems into phosphorus-rich biostimulant fertilizers.
- NL Marine Organics (Newfoundland and Labrador), transforming aquaculture mortalities and fish processing waste into liquid fish-hydrolysate fertilizer through dockside biorefining.
- HoldfastNL (Newfoundland and Labrador), manufacturing kelp-based agricultural biostimulants from cultivated sugar kelp.
- BioLabMate (Newfoundland and Labrador), developing thermoplastic bio-resins derived from seaweed to replace petroleum-based plastics in laboratory and medical consumables.
Positioning Atlantic Canada as an Aquaculture Innovation Hub
According to Shelly Petten, CEO of Oceans Advance, Atlantic Canada already possesses many of the ingredients needed to become a global leader in aquaculture innovation.
“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,” Petten said.
She added that the new Innovation Studio aims not only to support entrepreneurs but also to establish Atlantic Canada as an international center for aquaculture technology by helping startups attract investment and scale their businesses.
Hatch Blue Co-Founder and Partner Wayne Murphy echoed that optimism, noting that the region’s long-standing blue economy expertise provides an ideal environment for aquaculture innovation.
“We’re delighted to launch this innovation studio in Atlantic Canada. Given the region’s rich blue economy heritage, we see fertile ground here for both aquatech innovation and top talent to scale it,” Murphy said.
He also highlighted that the program aligns well with the Canadian federal government’s recent food security strategy, which emphasizes sustainable domestic food production.
Industry Showcase Planned for July 2026
The program will conclude with Innovate aquaculture: The solutions shaping the future, an invitation-only industry forum scheduled for 23 July 2026 in St. John’s.
The event will bring together aquaculture producers, feed companies, technology developers, investors, and other stakeholders from across the seafood value chain. Attendees will hear keynote presentations, participate in panel discussions on aquaculture innovation in Atlantic Canada, and watch the participating startups showcase the technologies they have developed throughout the program.
Register your interest: https://luma.com/pwy92blc
