Aquit is an aquaculture biotech startup based in Chile, developing preventive treatment for infections in fish that replace antibiotics, improve survival rates and boost natural immunity.
In this latest installment of our Female Founders series, WeAreAquaculture spoke to Aquit founder and CEO Daniela Allerbon to find out more about her company, her vision and inspiration, and her outlook on the future of the aquaculture industry.
"Our mission is to improve productivity in aquaculture in a sustainable way. In order to do so, at Aquit, we've developed a disruptive and cost-effective technology that improves survival rates, enhances fish immunity, and most importantly, replaces antibiotics."
"The problem we've identified is a known one. It's estimated that fish mortality, without using standard infection and disease control techniques could be higher than 70%. But these methods: vaccines and antibiotics, have serious limitations in terms of effectiveness or are harmful to the environment and human health."
"OUR SOLUTION enables producers to obtain a better price for their harvest"
"Vaccines have less than 50% of effectiveness and antibiotics generate super-resistant bacteria and environmental contamination. The WHO states that in 2050 there'll be more deaths related to antibiotic resistance in humans than due to cancer."
"With Aquit, we offer a solution to this situation that also enables producers to obtain a better price for their harvest – in the case of salmon, the target species of our first product, producers could get 1 USD more per kg of antibiotic-free salmon."
"We believe that the world needs sustainable aquaculture now and we want to be an important player to make that happen."
"What truly inspires me about my work is the possibility of making an impact with science, advancing knowledge, and helping to create new sustainable and socially conscious solutions."
"And while doing so, I'm also excited about creating an organization where everybody has equal opportunities for growth and where everyone can feel included and motivated, with special attention to women's participation. Diversity is key for innovation but what's even more important, it's key for better organizations."
"I'm also excited about creating an organization where everybody has equal opportunities for growth and where everyone can feel included and motivated"
"I believe that the self-managed and human-centric model, the so-called 'teal organizations', is the future. How we'll be able to grow in a way that isn't to the expense of individual happiness but rather benefiting from it. In a field where being passionate about your work is a common occurrence, this must be thought of as a benefit and asset we possess."
"As Frederic Laloux says, I believe that 'Extraordinary things begin to happen when we dare to bring all of who we are to work'."
"We have an effective and innovative solution to a huge problem: bacterial infections in aquaculture and antibiotics overuse. We believe that this new technology will be a game changer in the industry, allowing all and every fish farming company to utilize effective methods to maintain their fish health, without taking a toll on the environment or people's health."
"This method is not only more effective than antibiotics and vaccines but also more sustainable and healthy for fish and humans."
"We've managed to bypass the inflammatory processes that other immunostimulants induce before they achieve their protective effect, precisely because our protein is from the fish itself, and so it doesn't react against it. This method is not only more effective than antibiotics and vaccines but also more sustainable and healthy for fish and humans."
"I see in the aquaculture industry the possibility of immense growth, helping create the future of food production in a way that helps eradicate food insecurity and unsustainable protein farming."
"But right now one of the problems we face is in being able to communicate what the industry is capable of. Most people don't know that almost 50% of fish and seafood is farmed, nor that this manner of protein production is much more sustainable than other types. Not only sustainable in the sense that it has lower greenhouse gas emissions than other types of farming, but also because of its high resource efficiency: highest protein retention in relation to other meats like beef, pork, or chicken."
"Most people don't know that almost 50% of fish and seafood is farmed, nor that this manner of protein production is much more sustainable than other types."
"In a context where the production and consumption of meat are being revised and discussed globally, in terms of ethics and sustainability, and as the population keeps growing and so does the demand for food, and knowing that wild-caught fish is already unable to provide for this demand, the aquaculture and seafood industries can and should present themselves as part of the solution to these large scale issues."
