Prince Edward Island, Canada-based research firm Onda has announced the opening of a satellite location in Brazil to expand its services to include studies of whiteleg shrimp.
The expansion will allow Onda to provide research services about the species for aquaculture companies.
"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.
Contract research organizations like Onda allow companies to outsource research on their products, and Onda specializes in research and trials which support the aquaculture industry. The company was able to expand into shrimp research through partnering with a Brazilian aquaculture facility.
Onda said it has expanded into shrimp in part due to its status as a major species in the aquaculture sector – which was also the top consumed seafood species in the U.S. in 2022.
"Onda’s expansion in this area through an external partner stems from a market push to provide innovative trials and testing for whiteleg shrimp," the company said. "These trials aim to evaluate key performance indicators such as hatch success, growth rate, feed efficiency, survival rate and disease resistance helping the aquaculture industry build more resilient stock and sustainable practices to enhance food security and meet the growing demand for reliable seafood sources worldwide."
Onda said the partnership will help it research the species given the geographical challenges of importing it into Canada. Vannamei is non-native to the country, and the company said it is "challenging to import."
"Through this partnership, the service standards that clients equate to working with Onda, such as quality customizable shrimp research trials and Onda designed models, remain available," it said.
The company said it will offer new research services focusing on nutrition, growth, digestibility, and palatability in their first phase, focusing on feed formulations and ingredients to determine impacts on shrimp survivability and performance.
"Onda has intentions to expand into health trials at the new facility in the very near future," it said.
