AquaBounty breaks ground on land-based Atlantic salmon farm in Ohio

Ohio Salmon Farm Land Based AquaBounty Aquaculture — Pictured L - R: Jason Robertson, CRB; Tim Derickson, Jobs Ohio; Luanne Cooke, Office of Governor John R. Kasich; Megan Hausch, Williams County Economic Development Corporation; David Kelly, Innovasea; Leonard Hubert, Office of Senator Rob Portman; Sylvia Wulf, AquaBounty; Sam White, CRB; Ed Kidston, Mayor of Pioneer.

Salmon Farm Land Based Aquaculture Ohio AquaBounty

Salmon Farm Land Based Aquaculture AquaBounty Ohio

Ohio Salmon Farm Land Based Aquaculture AquaBounty

Groundbreaking Salmon Farm Land Based Aquaculture Ohio AquaBounty — Pictured L - R: Craig Teamer, Toledo Port Authority; Andy Lorenz, Regional Growth Partnership; Tim Derickson, Jobs Ohio; Megan Hausch, Williams County Economic Development Corporation; Sylvia Wulf, AquaBounty; Dean Monske, Regional Growth Partnership; Matt Davis, Regional Growth Partnership.

AquaBounty, a land-based salmon producer focused on sustainability in aquaculture, broke ground on the construction of its first 10,000-metric-ton Atlantic salmon farm in Pioneer, Ohio, in the northwestern part of the state.

AquaBounty was joined at the groundbreaking event by partners CRB, Innovasea, local and government officials, and key Ohio economic development leaders.

AquaBounty expects the project cost to be in the range of $290 million to $320 million, including a reserve for potential contingencies of $30 million. The Company anticipates commercial stocking of salmon eggs to commence in late 2023. Once in full operation, the farm is expected to bring more than 100 new jobs to the region.

CRB, an international leader in sustainable engineering, architecture, construction, and consulting solutions to the food and beverage and life sciences industry, will lead the design and construction of the facility for AquaBounty. Innovasea, a global leader in technologically advanced aquatic solutions for aquaculture and fish tracking, is designing the Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (“RAS”) technology for the new farm.

“We are pleased to have officially begun building our next-generation, highly productive facility in Pioneer, Ohio, which will serve as a model for the aquaculture industry and our continued expansion,” said Sylvia Wulf, Chief Executive Officer of AquaBounty. “This milestone comes after many dedicated teams completed extensive scientific investigation, analysis, testing, modeling, and regulatory review. We also celebrate with the Village of Pioneer, Williams County, the Regional Growth Partnership, and the State of Ohio, which will benefit from the introduction of a new industry with new jobs and new opportunities in Northwest Ohio.”

Ryan Schroeder, President of CRB, adds, "AquaBounty's facility demonstrates the bold vision necessary to defeating food insecurity on a global scale. We are extremely humbled and grateful that our integrated ONEsolution approach is playing a key role in uniting that vision with execution methods designed to deliver projects on schedule, on budget and with high quality."

Those at AquaBounty say they offer a consistent supply of salmon raised in the U.S. in a safe, secure and sustainable way. AquaBounty strategically locates its farm facilities within easy reach of key U.S. markets to accelerate delivery of Atlantic salmon to consumers.

“This is an important milestone in the advancement of aquaculture in the United States, and Innovasea is excited to lend our RAS expertise to the project,” said Innovasea CEO David Kelly. “AquaBounty’s state-of-the-art facility will go a long way to proving that commercial land-based aquaculture can be scaled up and remain both profitable and sustainable.”