• While initially focused on cold-water species, they already conducted successful trials with yellowtail kingfish and are now including species like barramundi
• The research center has 15 experimental trial units, 27 recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) and more than 350 tanks
BioMar reported that they are expanding their research and development activities at its Aquaculture Technology Centre (ATC) in Hirtshals, Denmark, to support the introduction of new species into its global portfolio. As the company grows into new markets, the need for targeted scientific research on key species such as yellowtail kingfish and barramundi is increasing, strengthening BioMar’s ability to deliver species-specific nutritional solutions worldwide.
ATC Hirtshals is the largest research facility within BioMar and one of the most advanced aquaculture research centers in Europe. The site includes 15 experimental trial units, 27 recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), and more than 350 tanks, enabling controlled and large-scale testing across a wide range of species and life stages.
“Expanding into new species is a natural step as aquaculture continues to evolve,” said Simon Wadsworth, Global R&D Director at BioMar. “Our role is to generate the scientific knowledge needed to support farmers with reliable, well-documented nutritional solutions adapted to each species and production environment.”
The planned projects will focus on developing feeding strategies, improving biological performance, and strengthening predictive performance models for barramundi. This work will contribute to building operational knowledge that can be transferred across regions and production systems.
Leading Position in High-Value Marine Species
ATC Hirtshals has a strong track record working with major species such as salmon, trout, seabass and seabream throughout the different stages of their life cycle, including the hatchery stage at the Larviva Hatchery Hub. BioMar holds a leading position in high-value marine species, with more than 30 years supplying seabass and seabream producers and around 20 years of dedicated nutritional trials at Hirtshals covering the full production cycle.
Over the years, this work has spanned nutritional requirements, raw material documentation, environmental challenges and feeding optimization, building the deep, long-standing expertise in Mediterranean marine species that provides a solid foundation for developing and validating feed solutions across BioMar‘s global markets.
While initially focused on cold-water species, ATC Hirtshals has increasingly expanded its work with warm-water species. In recent years, successful trials have been conducted with yellowtail kingfish, a species of growing global importance and of relevance for our business in Europe and Australia.
Building on this experience, BioMar is now expanding its research portfolio to include several new key species, where the first step is barramundi. This species represents a key opportunity in several targeted markets, particularly in Australia and southeast Asia, and will be the focus of upcoming innovation at our Hirtshals facility.
Integrated Into the Global Innovation Framework
For his part, David Whyte, Managing Director of BioMar Australia, comments: “For BioMar Australia, barramundi and yellowtail kingfish are two of the most promising species in Australian aquaculture. They are central to the growth of the country’s warm-temperate and tropical sector and we need to support the fish’s nutritional requirements under Australia’s range of production systems and environments. Our commitment to the success of Aquaculture in our region is underpinned by the exciting work planned at Hirshals”.
According to them, thanks to this expansion in its R&D scope, “BioMar continues to reinforce its ability to support customers across a broader range of markets. The work carried out in Hirtshals is integrated into BioMar’s global innovation framework, ensuring that insights generated at the centre contribute directly to feed development and performance optimization worldwide.”
