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. We are committed to feeding the world efficiently, sustainably and profitably. Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and aquatic plants. It involves cultivating freshwater or saltwater species under controlled conditions, as an alternative to the commercial harvesting of wild species of aquatic organisms. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (“FAO”), aquaculture was a $250 billion industry in 2018, and we are targeting the $17 billion salmon farming segment of that industry.
Our GE Atlantic salmon is based upon proprietary salmon genetics and grows to harvest size faster than conventional Atlantic salmon. Our salmon was approved for production, sale, and consumption in the United States on November 19, 2015 by the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). This was followed by an approval from Health Canada for the production, sale, and consumption of our GE Atlantic salmon in Canada on May 19, 2016. On May 6, 2021, we received approval from Brazil’s National Biosafety Technical Commission for the sale and consumption of our GE Atlantic salmon in Brazil. Consequently, we have received approvals for our product from what we believe are three of the most respected and rigorous regulatory agencies in the world.
We farm our GE Atlantic salmon in land-based, recirculating aquaculture systems (“RAS”), which allow inland fish farms to be established close to major demand centers in a profitable and environmentally sustainable manner. We believe that our 25 years of experience growing salmon in land-based farms, coupled with the unique genetics of our faster-growing GE Atlantic salmon, provides us with a competitive advantage and an opportunity to establish multiple salmon farms throughout North America and the world.
We currently have two salmon farms in production – a 1,200 metric ton facility in Indiana and a 250 metric ton demonstration facility on Prince Edward Island. Our plans include the construction of a new 10,000 metric ton farm in the Midwest United States during the next eighteen months and an additional three to four new 10,000 metric ton farms in North America at sites close to consumer consumption over the next seven-to-ten years. We are also pursuing regulatory approval for our GE Atlantic salmon in China and Israel, with the goal of entering those markets with local partners in the form of joint ventures or licensing arrangements. Additionally, we plan to utilize our expertise in biotechnology and RAS operations to enter complimentary areas of the aquaculture industry.
Our strategy is to continually strengthen our core capabilities, scale our business and pursue growth opportunities.
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, 2020, 2019, and 2018, we experienced net losses of $16.2 million, $13.2 million, and $10.4 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.”
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, as amended, or the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of specified reduced disclosure and other requirements that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. We would cease to be an emerging growth company on the date that is the earliest of (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenues of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth