PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. This summary does not contain all the information that you should consider before investing in our securities. You should read the entire prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement carefully, including the “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and the financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, before making an investment decision.
Overview
AquaBounty is a leader in the field of land-based aquaculture and the use of technology for improving its productivity and sustainability. Our objective is to ensure the availability of high-quality seafood to meet global consumer demand, while addressing critical production constraints in the most popular farmed species.
On November 19, 2015, we received approval from the FDA of our New Animal Drug Application (“NADA”) for the production, sale, and consumption in the United States of AquAdvantage Salmon, which grows to harvest size faster than conventional Atlantic salmon. This was followed on May 19, 2016, by the approval from Health Canada for the production, sale, and consumption of AquAdvantage Salmon in Canada. Consequently, we have received approvals for our product from what we believe are two of the most respected and rigorous regulatory agencies in the world.
We farm AquAdvantage Salmon in land-based, recirculating aquaculture systems (“RAS”), which allows inland fish farms to be established close to major demand centers in a profitable and environmentally sustainable manner. Our years of experience growing Atlantic salmon in land-based farms, coupled with the economic advantage of our faster-growing AquAdvantage Salmon, offers the opportunity to energize salmon aquaculture in the United States, which imported more than $3.4 billion of Atlantic salmon in 2018 according to the U.S. Department of Commerce (“DOC”).
In 2017, we purchased an existing land-based aquaculture facility in Indiana as our first farm in the United States. We currently are growing both conventional Atlantic salmon and AquAdvantage Salmon at the farm, with our first harvests of conventional Atlantic salmon having commenced in the second quarter of 2020 and our first harvests of AquAdvantage Salmon expected in the first quarter of 2021. Our future plans include construction of four to five new farms in North America at sites close to consumer consumption over the next several years. Additionally, we are pursuing regulatory approval for AquAdvantage Salmon in Argentina, Brazil, China, and Israel.
We have incurred significant losses since our inception. We expect to continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future, and we may never achieve or maintain profitability. For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019, 2018, and 2017, we experienced net losses of $13.2 million, $10.4 million, and $9.3 million, respectively.
We were formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on December 17, 1991. Our principal executive offices are located at 2 Mill & Main Place, Suite 395, Maynard, Massachusetts 01754. Our telephone number is (978) 648-6000. On January 19, 2017, our common stock began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “AQB.”
Recent Developments
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, as a pandemic, which continues to spread throughout the United States and worldwide. Because infections of this virus and incidences of the disease it causes, COVID-19, have been reported throughout both the United States and Canada, certain national, provincial, state, and local governmental authorities have issued proclamations and directives aimed at minimizing the spread of the virus. Additional, more restrictive proclamations and directives may be issued in the future.
The ultimate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our operations is unknown and will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic, new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and any additional preventative and protective actions that governments, or we, may direct, which may result in an extended period of continued business disruption and reduced operations. Our current preventative and protective measures include, but are not limited to, segregating farm workers to specific locations, rotating shifts, and monitoring worker temperatures upon arrival at our facilities. To the extent possible, work-from-home is utilized for employees that do not have fish care responsibilities. To date, our farm operations have not been adversely affected by the pandemic, although we have made modifications to biosecurity procedures and our farm sites to adapt to local requirements and to provide a safe work environment.
We have experienced delays in capital projects due to the pandemic, including a delay in the completion of the processing facility at the Indiana farm. The project was completed in November 2020 and we utilized third party alternatives for fish processing during the interim. We have also seen a reduction in both the demand and market price for Atlantic salmon due to the impact of the pandemic in the food service channel in the industry, specifically on restaurants. This has impacted our scheduled harvests, thus reducing our expected revenue and increasing our inventory biomass. We expect that these conditions will continue through the first half of 2021, as the industry waits for the roll-out of a COVID-19 vaccine and the subsequent reopening of the food service channel. The Company is currently exploring options to potentially reduce its excess inventory through donation of fish to local food charities who have experienced unprecedented demand to feed families that have been impacted by the economic downturn in many markets across the U.S. due to the pandemic.