The trū® Shrimp Company has signed an agreement with Oceanic Institute of Hawai`i Pacific University to develop a nucleus shrimp breeding program in the US. The agreement confirms Oceanic Institute as the supplier of Pacific white shrimp breeding stock selected and developed exclusively for trū Shrimp.
The agreement is the beginning of a relationship with the scientists of Oceanic Institute to identify which of their breeding stock best perform in trū Shrimp’s patented production environment. Dr. Bruce Paterson, Chief Technical Officer of trū Shrimp, said it is critical high-performing breeding stock are chosen and certified specific pathogen free since trū Shrimp does not use antibiotics in its production systems.
“Biosecurity of the supplier’s facilities and the health and growth capability of the breeding stock were high priorities during the selection of a shrimp brood stock supplier,” Paterson said. “Oceanic Institute was the first company in the world to receive the designation ‘specific pathogen free’. This means Oceanic Institute shrimp breeding stock are certified to be free of the nine major shrimp diseases recognized by the World Organization of Animal Health. This assures trū Shrimp that our breeding stock will be disease free and have been raised under the highest of biosecurity standards.”
In addition to supplying brood stock for the hatchery at the trū Shrimp Innovation Research Center, Oceanic Institute will supply post larvae shrimp for the initial stocking of the Balaton Bay Reef, which will be the largest shrimp production facility in the Midwest when it comes online later this summer. trū Shrimp President and CEO Michael Ziebell said the agreement with Oceanic Institute is an important step forward.
“Oceanic Institute is a pioneer in the selective breeding of Pacific white shrimp. With this agreement, trū Shrimp has aligned itself with the best in the industry. It is our honor they agreed to work with us. A nucleus breeding program is a major piece of the fully integrated model we are pursuing to produce safe, antibiotic free shrimp for the U.S. market,” Ziebell said.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us,” Shaun Moss, Executive Director of Oceanic Institute shared. “We developed our shrimp breeding technology with funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with the intention to support a domestic shrimp farming industry. However, many beneficiaries of this technology grow shrimp overseas, so it is very rewarding for us to have this partnership with trū Shrimp here in the U.S. We believe the combination of trū Shrimp’s innovative production environment, coupled with Oceanic Institute’s breeding technology, will result in production efficiencies which will make trū Shrimp a leader in sustainable shrimp farming in the U.S. and beyond.”
trū Shrimp’s Balaton Bay Reef will be stocked with shrimp in September. It will also break ground on Luverne Bay Harbor in Luverne, MN this fall. The Luverne Bay Harbor, a nine-acre structure, will be capable of producing millions of pounds of shrimp annually.
