EVAH, a Canadian biotechnology company focused on animal health solutions, has developed a next-generation low-dosage in-feed veterinary medicinal product that promises to transform how the global salmon farming industry combats sea lice.
As a key milestone in this journey, the company has now secured a core U.S. patent for its innovation, adding to EVAH’s growing international IP portfolio. A PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) application has been filed based on the U.S. patent priority date, with the intention to seek patent protection in all relevant countries and regions.
“We’re excited to bring this solution to the global stage,” said Michel Fortin, president & CEO of EVAH, in a press release. “Sea lice have been a persistent, expensive, and painful challenge for too long in the farming of Atlantic salmon. While infestations occur naturally, the pressure on Atlantic farmed and also wild salmonids, such as rainbow trout and Arctic charr, has increased significantly. It’s time to offer the entire sector a solution that truly works – and it works with nature, not against it.”
The estimated annual cost of sea lice challenges to the industry is expected to exceed USD 4 billion, encompassing direct treatment costs, but especially substantial indirect costs from injuries, morbidity, mortality of fish and quality downgrades. Over time, sea lice have developed resistance to widely used medicinal and chemical compounds, while alternative methods, such as chemical bath treatments or mechanical removals, present challenges around fish welfare, operational complexity, and environmental sustainability.
“The Atlantic salmon industry has reached a biological ceiling,” said Michel Fortin. “Producers are battling the same parasite with increasingly ineffective tools. What’s needed is not just another workaround, but a real breakthrough.”
High efficacy and controlled environmental impact
EVAH’s in-feed veterinary medicinal product, Barracuda, changes the game. It is a novel solution demonstrating consistently high efficacy (>99% in tank studies) at low, patented dosage against all parasitic stages of sea lice – from the copepodite stage to adult lice. Because it is delivered via medicated feed, there is no need for fish handling or stressful intervention, significantly reducing injuries, morbidity and mortality. This improves fish welfare, leads to higher grading of the harvested fish and substantially enhances feed conversion rates.
In principle, fish treated for sea lice – following a prescription from an authorized veterinarian – continue to feed and grow during the one-week treatment period required to achieve the full effect of the prescribed medicine. Before and after the treatment, fish are fed the same feed, but without any medication.
Unlike existing bath or mechanical treatments, which cannot be simultaneously applied site-wide and have no duration of efficacy, often requiring repeat applications, EVAH’s solution can be simultaneously applied site-wide, and to multiple farms, helping reset sea lice levels across entire fjords or bay systems.
“Barracuda is a true next-generation tool,” said Michel Fortin. “It offers the efficacy of the best historical treatments, but with none of the environmental baggage and low risk factors for resistance. At the same time, it enables producers to simplify operations, improve fish welfare, reduce input costs, while also enhancing the quality of harvested fish. Ultimately, this translates into greater economic benefits for the entire industry.”
EVAH’s in-feed solution integrates easily into current farming operations and delivers clear commercial benefits. "By reducing fish stress, fish injuries, morbidity and mortality, it supports higher biomass yields. Fewer required interventions, lower costs related to labor, equipment, and logistics. At the same time, improved fish welfare leads to better product quality and lower downgrading, enabling stronger pricing," the company said.
EVAH’s in-feed solution is not environmentally bioaccumulative and has no negative impact on fish welfare or fish health. By reducing the need for wellboats and involved mechanical equipment, it also reduces the carbon footprint of operations.
“Modern aquaculture cannot grow without novel solutions,” said Michel Fortin. “Barracuda, our in-feed solution to combat sea lice in Atlantic salmon farming, shows that you don’t have to choose between profitability and responsibility. With this product, we can finally unlock both. The grant of the U.S. patent, followed by a PCT application covering all relevant markets, is a strong validation for EVAH’s approach to solving structural problems in animal protein production through science and sustainability, while protecting the company’s IP.”
