AquaBounty, the Maynard-based grower of bioengineered salmon, has begun producing the fish at its main facility in Indiana.
The company received its first shipment of its salmon eggs at the indoor farm last week, and the first production of the product in the U.S. has begun. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration lifted an import ban on the product in March after labeling concerns held up an initial 2016 approval.
The first harvest is anticipated in the fall of 2020.
The milestone comes as the company brings on a seafood industry veteran, David Melbourne, as chief commercial officer.
He comes from seafood giant Bumble Bee Foods, LLC in California, where he served as senior vice president of consumer marketing, government and industry relations and corporate social responsibility.
AquaBounty now looks to Melbourne to lead the commercialization of the company’s salmon, which is modified using a gene from a Chinook to speed up the growing process.
