Bivalves Hatchery

Oceano Fresco is a shellfish aquaculture company that aims to feed the world sustainably.

This is the promotor's 17th Goparity campaign and the first of the Hatchery series. 

This campaign aims to finance productivity increases in the bivalve hatchery, to increase the production and consistency of Venerupis corrugata and Ruditapes decussatus seeds throughout the year. More specifically:

• Broodstock: study and improvement of broodstock conditioning protocols
• Spawning phase: study and improvement of assisted spawning protocols
• Seed stage: testing and improving equipment to allow altered water flow resulting in improved growth/survival
• Algae: study of new recipes/species and acquisition of photo-bioreactor equipment to scale up the hatchery's feeding capacity
• Microbiology: study and improvement of hygiene protocols and control of water requirements, and acquisition of UV equipment for water treatment

The company has raised 2.98 million euros through Goparity's investor community since its first campaign in January 2020:

• The amount raised in Oceano Fresco I, II, III, IV, V, and VI campaigns (730,000€) was used to co-finance the installation of the world's first open sea clam farm in Lagos, Algarve. The clams are suspended in the open sea, where they can grow sustainably in their natural environment.
• The amount raised in Oceano Fresco Innovation I, II, and III campaigns (500,000€) was used to co-finance two research and development (R&D) projects focused on the cultivation of clams and one project in the area of food innovation. The R&D projects in the areas of genetics and pathology are highly innovative worldwide, leading to two incentives totaling 2.0 million. The food innovation project aims to develop new products and packaging to create value and promote sustainable clam consumption.
• The amount raised in Oceano Fresco Growth I, II, III, and IV campaigns (1.000.000€) was used for cultivation, operations, sales, marketing, and R&D. The Growth series meant to finance projects that enhance the growth of the company's production to enter the market with a larger sales scale.
• The amount raised on Oceano Fresco Farm I, II, and III (750.000€) was used to continue financing projects that enhance and grow the company's production.

In August 2020, the company started clam seed production at the Biomarine Center in Nazaré, a pioneering project in Europe, which included the bivalve hatchery, a laboratory with R&D and offices. In June of the same year, it completed the installation of the open sea farm in Lagos, with an area of 100 hectares and the capacity to produce 600 tons of clams per year, thus achieving total control of the production cycle of this bivalve. The year 2021 marked the start of the first production with the hatchery managing to produce more than 50 million clam seeds, and these same clams are growing well in the open sea.

In 2021, Oceano Fresco doubled the number of employees, creating a team of people composed of several nationalities and talents with a great passion in common: to contribute to feeding the world sustainably. In 2022, Oceano Fresco built the new boat 'Oceano Fresco l' and the Operations Center in Nazaré. To accompany this growth and innovation, Oceano Fresco has a new office at University NOVA SBE in Carcavelos (Lisbon) to create value for its clients, consumers, and stakeholders.

In 2023, Oceano Fresco announced its new Board of Directors, which includes experts in various fields who contribute to the vision of innovation and growth for a sustainable Blue Economy. In the same year, the company also announced a reinforcement of its innovation program, with the key projects Atlanticlam and the Blue Bioeconomy Pact.