The multinational feed producer BioMar has taken over full ownership of LetSea, the Norwegian aquaculture testing and research business.
The two companies have been collaborating in research for some years, with BioMar as a minority stakeholder.
The feed group said today that the investment will consolidate and further develop its feed innovation work into new operating modes such as waterborne feeding, development of new feed ingredients and new nutritional solutions.
LetSea was established almost 30 years ago. Prior to the BioMar acquisition it was two thirds owned by the investment fund KapNord, with the remaining shares owned by BioMar.
LetSea is a supplier of trials and projects to the aquaculture industry, with infrastructure from 5x5m cages to full-scale cages. It has around 70 employees. Its assignments span the entire spectrum of experiments and research.
LetSea says its facilities at Dønna in Helgeland make it possible to conduct thorough assessments in controlled cages.
Through full-scale sea cages, new feed formulations and technologies can be tested and documented throughout the entire production cycle. This way, new products can be validated for performance, quality, fish welfare and sustainability before being adopted by farmers.
Dr Simon Wadsworth, Global Research and Development Director at BioMar, said: “We have had a fantastic collaboration with LetSea over the years, which has enabled us to develop, test and implement a number of innovative solutions that have contributed positively to our customers’ production.
“A key success factor has been the good collaboration with the talented team at LetSea, a collaboration that we are privileged to be able to continue.”