Hatch Blue has officially launched its Atlantic Canada Aquaculture Studio to support 10 early-stage aquaculture, aquatech, and marine biotechnology companies.
Hatch Blue partnered with Oceans Advance in March to create the studio, and set the official launch for July 2026. The studio is the second of its kind launched by Hatch Blue in 2026, which announced a similar venue in Maine.
The new studio will feature a nine-month program designed to help transform the 10 early-stage companies into market-ready businesses. It has garnered support from both Oceans Advance and multiple Canadian governments through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Canada's Ocean Supercluster, together with the government of Newfoundland and Labrador.
“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,” Oceans Advance CEO Shelly Petten said. “The launch of the Atlantic Canada Aquaculture Studio marks a pivotal moment for our region.”
The 2026 cohort features 10 different companies, all of which are based in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island. The ideas the companies are working on range from a climate-fintech software platform that “turns aquaculture operators’ asset-level emissions data into costed decarbonisation pathways, modelling CAPEX, payback and savings,” to a company that converts seaweed into thermoplastic bio-resins to replace plastics.
"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,” Hatch Blue Partner and Co-Founder Wayne Murphy said. “The timing is perfect, given the Canadian federal government's recent food security strategy to drive local, sustainable production and consumption.”
