As aquaculture grows, so does the pressure to reduce antibiotic use without compromising fish health. With antimicrobial resistance on the rise, the industry is shifting from treatment to prevention—driving innovation in feeds, vaccines, and functional ingredients.

But innovation alone isn’t enough. The future depends on proving what works before it reaches the farm.

Read more to see how science, validation, and new technologies are reshaping fish health management.

Aquaculture in Canada often feels like a complicated conversation—but in Atlantic Canada, the story is very different. New research shows growing public support, with strong recognition of the industry’s role in jobs, sustainability, and food production.
Behind the numbers is something even more important: trust, community impact, and a deep connection to the coast.

Earth Month is a chance to reflect not just on the planet, but on the work we do to protect it. In this piece, we share a personal journey into aquaculture—one rooted in a desire to make a meaningful impact—and how that purpose continues to shape a career more than a decade later. From industry advancements to the role of science in driving sustainable progress, it’s a reminder that real change happens through both big innovations and everyday actions. Read on to explore why this work matters, and how aquaculture continues to be part of the solution.

Are deviations always a mistake? Do small errors really matter?
Some of the most common beliefs about quality and compliance are also the most misleading.

We’re debunking four quality system myths that could be holding your organization back — and sharing what high-performing teams understand about documentation, reporting, and training.

Read the full article and challenge your assumptions.

We’re excited to share that Onda and Pathovet have been awarded a new international R&D grant under Canada’s IRAP International program.

This collaborative initiative brings together Canadian and Brazilian scientific expertise to advance disease research supporting healthier, more resilient aquaculture systems. The project will focus on developing contemporary challenge models — including work on ISKNV in tilapia — while also establishing clearer regulatory pathways for compliant biological material transfer between the two countries.

More than a single study, this grant represents a shared commitment to cross-regional cooperation in tackling global aquaculture health challenges.

Click to read the full article and learn how this partnership is strengthening international research capacity.

In salmon farming, vaccination is standard — but verification of protection is not.

While ELISA confirms antibody presence, it does not confirm function. Not all antibodies are protective, and titer levels don’t always translate to field survival. A validated pathogen neutralization assay closes this gap by demonstrating whether vaccine-induced antibodies can actively inhibit bacterial or viral pathogens under controlled bench-top conditions.

For vaccine developers, this means earlier go/no-go clarity before costly in-vivo trials.
For producers, it provides confidence that a vaccinated population is ready for real infection pressure at sea.

Neutralization assays shift vaccine evaluation from proof of response to proof of protection.

Connect with our LabTech team to learn how functional vaccine verification can de-risk your next innovation.

A single graph can reveal far more than mortality alone. By examining lesion severity across tissues and Tenacibaculums species, this article shows how disease expression varies by pathogen and tissue, and why severity distribution matters. It’s a clear example of how applied research and diagnostics turn complex data into actionable insight for better health and treatment decisions.

Salmon farming on Canada’s West Coast sits at a critical crossroads. Polarized debates and rigid timelines risk oversimplifying an issue that touches ecosystems, Indigenous governance, coastal economies, and food security. Grounded in the findings of the Cohen Commission, this article explores why science, collaboration, and evidence-based policy must guide the path forward, not absolutes.

Great research doesn’t just happen in the lab, it lives in the details written down along the way. From reproducibility and transparency to compliance and continuity, documentation is what turns observations into defensible, trustworthy results. Learn why “no doc, didn’t happen” isn’t just a saying, but a foundation for credible research and successful client outcomes.

When fish health declines, speed matters, but so does precision. Acting without evidence can drive unnecessary treatments, added costs, and avoidable stress on stocks. Diagnostics replace assumptions with data, helping farms identify real risks early, intervene more precisely, and avoid doing more than what’s needed. Learn how integrating diagnostics into routine health monitoring supports smarter, more sustainable decision-making on farm.

Sea lice are often discussed as a single global challenge, but biology, environment, and production systems vary widely by region. Differences in species, life cycles, and treatment response mean data generated in one geography doesn’t always translate elsewhere.

We explore why region-specific research is essential for developing reliable, scalable solutions and how local validation builds confidence with producers and regulators alike. We also share how expanding our sea lice capabilities supports a global industry facing local challenges.

Innovation may start on the bench, but commercialization depends on data that regulators can trust. From trial design and statistical validity to data integrity and objective execution, regulatory reviewers expect CRO-generated studies to meet a high and consistent standard.

We outline the key elements regulators look for and share practical insights drawn from supporting submissions across species, systems, and study phases. If you’re planning studies to support regulatory approval or commercial claims, aligning early can help avoid delays and keep your product on track to market.

Common mistakes in aquaculture trials can lead to unusable data and costly delays. Learn how to avoid them with better design, rigor, and planning.

Innovation thrives when research and funding align. The Chilean Economic Development Agency (CORFO) offers a range of grants designed to accelerate technology validation, product development, and R&D collaboration—making it a powerful resource for aquaculture health innovators.

At Onda, we help clients turn these opportunities into actionable research. From aligning study design with grant requirements to generating data that supports both funding and regulatory success, our team ensures your project meets the scientific and strategic criteria needed to advance.

At Onda, every upgrade we make serves one purpose—to deliver more reliable, data-rich research for our clients. Our new Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) and respirometer at the Victoria facility mark a significant step in advancing aquaculture research and sustainability.

The RAS enables precisely controlled, biosecure studies that simulate production conditions, while the respirometer offers real-time insight into fish metabolism, health, and performance. Together, they strengthen our ability to help clients validate their innovations with clarity and confidence.

In aquaculture innovation, data quality determines confidence. Onda’s cohabitation models replicate the natural infection process, producing results that reflect how diseases truly behave on the farm, not just in a lab. By studying transmission between Trojans and Cohabitants under realistic conditions, we generate insights that help clients predict field performance, refine dosing, and strengthen regulatory submissions.

Because our studies capture natural variability and environmental influences, they deliver the most meaningful measure of efficacy—how your product performs in the real world.

Innovation in aquatic health is vital, but it’s also risky. Every new vaccine or therapeutic represents years of research and significant financial investment, yet not every product performs as expected once it leaves the lab. That’s where Onda’s preclinical models make the difference.

By replicating real-world production conditions under controlled settings, Onda helps clients identify the most promising candidates before reaching costly regulatory or market stages. Our studies deliver the clarity needed to make confident, data-driven decisions reducing uncertainty, managing risk, and accelerating time to market.

Even in aquaculture, October isn’t just for pumpkin spice—it’s for facing the ghosts that haunt your innovation plans. One of the scariest? Funding delays.

Luckily, the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC) has the tools to summon support and banish those financial phantoms. From collaborative project grants to targeted challenge funds and third-party guidance, SAIC helps innovators turn funding fears into real-world progress.

Whether you’re an industry partner, academic ally, or ambitious start-up, the path to funding doesn’t have to feel like a haunted maze—SAIC can light the way.

When most people think of Onda, they think salmon—and fair enough, we’ve built a reputation as leaders in salmon research. But that’s only part of the story.

From sturgeon to barramundi, lobster to oysters, tilapia to trout (and even shrimp!), Onda’s team has gone the distance—literally—to bring a world of aquaculture species into our facility. Whether it’s cross-country flights with eggs in tow or long backroad drives for live fish, our Operations Team goes the extra mile to make the right models available for our clients.

Because aquaculture isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is research.

What’s invisible, unpredictable, and capable of derailing even the best product launch? If you said regulatory delays—you’re right. For aquaculture innovators, these hidden haunts can stretch timelines, drain budgets, and spook even the most seasoned teams.

But here’s the good news: you don’t have to face them alone. Onda’s regulatory-ready study design and deep industry experience help turn those ghostly delays into clear, manageable milestones—so your product can reach market faster, safer, and with confidence.