In for the krill: vet strengthens Aker team
Aker BioMarine has appointed former BioMar employee Marianne Nergård as veterinarian and key account manager for sales of its krill-based feed ingredient QRILL Aqua.
Nergård has dedicated much of her career to investigating and communicating the effects of krill on fish health and will be responsible in her new role for communicating the value of krill on the health and performance of various marine species.
“I am passionate about increasing fish health and welfare, and also in showing how healthier fish are part of making the aquaculture business more sustainable,” said Nergård in a press release.
Improving fish health
“I have witnessed on several occasions that krill is a key ingredient to mitigate the negative effects of several important infectious diseases, all while serving as a sustainable feed ingredient. This is why I believe that krill is going to be important to help improve fish health and performance in the future.”
Nergård spent five years at feed producer BioMar, working with product development and technical support on the health feed range. She also worked closely with BioMar’s R&D department to explore the effects of high krill diets on fish.
One of her main responsibilities was to communicate how feed influences fish health and welfare, as well as how it improves the overall fillet quality and performance.
Benefits of krill
“Marianne has dedicated a great deal of time to exploring the effects of krill in aquaculture, both in her studies and in her career. I look forward to having Marianne as part of the team on making the benefits of krill even more well-known in the aquaculture industry,” said Sigve Nordrum, Aker BioMarine’s executive vice president for animal health and nutrition.
Nergård earned her veterinary degree from the Norwegian Veterinary School in Oslo, Norway. During her studies, she specialised in aqua medicine and wrote her thesis on the effects of krill feed on circulatory health in Atlantic salmon.
Norway-headquartered Aker Biomarine is an MSC-certified fishing company that harvests krill sustainably in the Antarctic. It has a logistics hub in the urugayan capital, Montevideo, and a production plant in Houston, Texas. It develops krill-based ingredients for nutraceutical, aquaculture, and animal feed applications.
