MariCal, of Portland, Maine is a privately held animal health and nutrition biotechnology company with a multi-patent technology platform that has a variety of applications in aquaculture.

A recent patent application notes that certain peptides can be incorporated in polymer formulations to prevent biofouling.

MariCal’s technology platform is built around the science of calcium sensing receptor proteins (CaSRs). MariCal’s key discovery is that of a class of molecular extracellular ion receptor proteins, called Calcium Receptors serve as the biological “thermostats,” or “master switches” that enable fish and other aquatic organisms to sense and respond to changes in both water salinity and nutrients in their aquatic environment.

MariCal’s Calcium Sensing Receptors have an array of existing interesting applications in aquaculture: 

• In late June 2008 MariCal announced the exclusive global licensing of the Company’s smoltification technology, the SuperSmolt® Program, to Europharma to service the commercial salmon industry.
• In addition, MariCal is a joint-venture partner in Low Salinity Inc., based in Saltville, Virginia – a land-based recirculation production and research facility for cobia.

MariCal states that amongst other things that its capabilities can be used to generate the following benefits in finfish aquaculture:

• Add value with an all natural finishing process
  • permits fine-tuning of taste
  • increases fillet thickness
  • assures consistent taste/texture of aquacultured freshwater and saltwater fish
• Increase yield for higher profit
• Produce high value marine species in freshwater sites near major markets
• Improved methods of producing and processing fish eggs for caviar and sushi markets

The discovery, development and deployment of MariCal’s calcium receptor science in aquaculture is an exceptional example of the cross boundary application of science to generate breakthroughs in an ‘unrelated field’ – one of the classical tennets of the practice of open innovation.

For a more extended discussion of the science behind Calcium Receptors, their role in humans, and how they function in aquatic organisms, click here for a PDF document.

Elements of Marical’s patent portfolio may be viewed here.

MariCal has operations in Chile, through its subsidiary CienciaMar, and offices in Canada, United Kingdom, and Norway.

To date, the Finfish site includes nine other posts which address issues related to fouling.  These may be accessed by clicking on this link or by conducting a search by typing your terms into the box on the top right hand corner of this page.