Regional Fish

Regional Fish Institute, Ltd. is a Japanese biotechnology firm that emerged from academic research at Kyoto University and was founded on April 10, 2019, by CEO Tadanori Umekawa. The company is focused on revolutionizing the aquaculture industry by addressing the slow pace of breed improvement in aquatic species, a process that traditionally takes around 30 years. By leveraging high-speed genome editing technology, Regional Fish can accelerate this process to just two to three years. This technique deactivates specific gene functions to promote natural evolutionary changes, distinguishing it from GMO methods that introduce foreign genes. The company asserts that this approach is safe, with analyses showing no off-target changes or residual genome editing tools.

The firm's business model encompasses the entire aquaculture value chain, including the production and sale of new fish breeds, franchising a smart aquaculture system, and marketing seafood products derived from these new breeds. The smart aquaculture component integrates AI and IoT to monitor and control the growth environment continuously, aiming to create a more productive, sustainable, and less labor-intensive model. This system also focuses on environmental friendliness through the use of clean energy and waste recycling. Regional Fish collaborates with an open innovation network of over 70 enterprises and academic institutions.

The company has successfully brought the world's first genome-edited animal food products to market: a high-growth red sea bream and a fast-growing tiger puffer fish. The red sea bream was edited to lack the myostatin gene, which suppresses muscle growth, resulting in an edible portion that is 1.2 to 1.6 times larger and a 14% improvement in feed efficiency. The tiger puffer fish had its appetite-controlling genes altered, leading to a weight 1.9 times greater than conventional puffers in the same farming period. These products were first sold in Japan in late 2021 after a crowdfunding campaign and are available through an e-commerce site. Beyond these, the company is developing over 20 new varieties of fish and has commercialized a fast-growth olive flounder.

Keywords: aquaculture technology, genome editing, smart aquaculture, sustainable seafood, fish breeding, CRISPR technology, biotechnology, Japanese aquaculture, recirculating aquaculture systems, food technology, seafood production, sustainable protein, agritech, red sea bream, tiger puffer fish, land-based aquaculture, feed efficiency, genetic engineering, food security, protein crisis