Denmark-based aquaculture feed producer BioMar announced plans to expand the company’s research and development (R&D) efforts to include a new species in the company’s global portfolio while at the Aquaculture Technology Centre (ATC) in Hirtshals, Denmark, 28 April 2026.
ATC is the largest research facility within BioMar, the company said in a release and remains one of the most advanced centers for aquaculture research in Europe. The center includes 15 experimental trial units, 27 recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), and more than 350 tanks for controlled and large-scale testing on fish species.
“Expanding into new species is a natural step as aquaculture continues to evolve,” BioMar Global R&D Director Simon Wadsworth said. “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.”
BioMar added in the release that growth into new markets has highlighted yellowtail kingfish and barramundi as key species, which now gives the aquaculture feed producer a pathway to “deliver species-specific nutritional solutions worldwide.” Research for new species feed production includes evaluating each species’ requirements for feeding strategies and performance under aquaculture farming practices. The first new species to undergo feeding trial research will be barramundi, the company said.
“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,” BioMar said.
BioMar Australia Managing Director David Whyte added in the release that barramundi and yellowtail kingfish are “two of the most promising species” in Australia’s aquaculture industry due to the growth of the country’s changing climate patterns.
“They are central to the growth of the country’s warm-temperate and tropical sector and we need to support the fishes’ nutritional requirements under Australia’s range of production systems and environments,” Whyte said. “Our commitment to the success of aquaculture in our region is underpinned by the exciting work planned at Hirshals.”
Past research work with species at ATC included salmon, trout, seabass, and seabream from the hatchery stage at the Larviva Hatchery Hub to the end of life, and the company holds a leading position in high-value marine species research. BioMar also has 30 years' experience supplying sea bass and sea bream producers with aquaculture feed and has performed 20 years of dedicated nutritional trials at ATC, working to span nutritional requirements, document raw materials, research environmental challenges, and improve feeding optimization.
