June 10, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(HALIFAX) – Canada’s Ocean Supercluster today announced five new ocean innovation projects worth over $18 million during the H20 Conference in Halifax, including the $2.9 million Enhancing Aquaculture Productivity with Environmental Genomics Project led by eDNAtec.
This new project will bring cutting-edge environmental genomics technologies to the forefront of Canada’s $1.3 billion salmon aquaculture industry, aiming to address two critical challenges: improving environmental stewardship, particularly in relation to assessing biodiversity, and enhancing pathogen detection and mitigation efforts.
The project is led by St. John’s, NL-based eDNAtec, in partnership with Mowi in Campbell River, BC. With a total project value of $2.9 million, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is investing $944, 800, with the balance of funding coming from project partners.
This marks eDNAtec’s first venture into aquaculture, expanding from previous work with government, oil & gas, and fisheries. For Mowi, the project supports a drive to adopt innovative technologies that boost sustainability and competitiveness. The collaboration will reinforce the long-term viability of Canada’s aquaculture industry, supporting economic stability, environmental responsibility, and meaningful community involvement, all while growing Canada’s position as a leader in aquaculture innovation, strengthening global competitiveness, and building a more resilient ocean economy.
Through Ambition 2035 and together with Canada’s ocean community, we are bold in our ambition to grow Canada’s ocean economy 5X to $220 billion by 2035. Continued investment in the accelerated development and commercialization of globally relevant, made in Canada ocean solutions, including the projects announced today, will help us realize this ambition. Read more about recommendations to help achieve this transformational growth opportunity outlined in Charting the Course to 5X Growth in Canada’s Ocean Economy and the projected benefits to Canada here.
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Media Contacts
Nancy Andrews
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
nancy.andrews@oceansupercluster.ca
About Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
Canada’s Ocean Supercluster accelerates the development and commercialization of made-in-Canada ocean solutions in energy transition, food security, future of transport, and climate change while also growing more companies, creating more jobs, and attracting ocean talent. As Canada’s national ocean cluster, the OSC is a convenor of members, partners, and networks and a catalyst for transformative growth that helps build the robust ecosystem needed to help realize Ambition 2035 – a 5X growth potential in ocean in Canada by 2035. To date, the OSC has approved more than 140 projects valued at more than $500 million, which will deliver more than 300 new made-in-Canada ocean products, processes, and services to sell to the world.
About eDNAtec:
eDNAtec is a global leader in environmental genomics, dedicated to advancing environmental stewardship by analyzing biodiversity and ecological health across a diverse range of ecosystems. We combine scientific excellence with cutting-edge technology to deliver high-impact eDNA solutions. Our ISO-certified EnviroSeq® process and AI-powered BioPilot platform ensure accuracy from sampling to decision-making. With over 300 projects, 25,000 samples processed, and 5 million species detected, our leadership is backed by peer-reviewed publications, ongoing R&D through CEGA, and a passionate team of experts.
Quotes
“This project exemplifies the kind of innovation and collaboration that will drive the future of sustainable aquaculture in Canada. By applying advanced environmental genomics to address key challenges in fish health and biodiversity, this project supports economic growth, environmental responsibility, and community inclusion.” — Kendra MacDonald, CEO, Canada’s Ocean Supercluster
“We’re honored to receive support from Canada’s Ocean Supercluster for this important initiative. This project marks an exciting step for eDNAtec as we bring our environmental genomics technologies into aquaculture for the first time. By working alongside Mowi and other partners, we’re helping advance sustainability, improve biodiversity stewardship, and strengthen disease resilience in Canada’s salmon farming industry. We’re proud to contribute to the growth of a more innovative, sustainable, and globally competitive ocean economy.” – Steve Barrett, COO, eDNAtec
“Mowi’s biodiversity framework has been developed as an extension of our existing strategic sustainability programs for protecting nature. As a young farming sector, we have the advantage of having a focus on managing biodiversity impacts from the start. Whether we are adapting our production to a changing ocean environment or continuously improving our practices to conserve biodiversity, having the ability to directly measure changes to biodiversity where we operate will be a huge advantage in our goal to produce more healthy food from the ocean for a growing population.” – Mia Parker, Director Environmental Performance and Certification, Mowi Canada West