German biotech AquaNab is helping to solve a salmon farming challenge with a new nanoantibody technology. With sea lice costing the aquaculture industry an estimated US$4 billion annually, the Hamburg-based company has developed AquaNabs, a nanoantibody treatment delivered through fish feed, offering a sustainable alternative to conventional chemical and mechanical delousing. Beyond the economic toll, sea lice pose environmental and animal welfare challenges, raising concerns about chemical runoff, the health of surrounding waters, and the impact of mechanical and chemical delousing methods on fish welfare. As scrutiny from regulators, retailers and consumers intensifies, producers are seeking more effective, sustainable alternatives. “Animal welfare and fish health remain the biggest challenges facing sustainable aquaculture, and producers need better tools to protect it,” said CEO Dr Ruth Tamara Montero, an experienced fish immunologist with a PhD from Germany’s Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut.