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.