TunaTech

The TunaTech GmbH has been established based on a long-standing involvement in several European research projects dealing with fisheries and aquaculture, especially the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus). Over the last 10 years the team gained a strong background and expertise in these fields. Our aim is to contribute to a sustainable and eco-friendly aquaculture for the future.

TunaTech´s Bluefin Tuna Project in Egypt (Mersa Gargub)

Due to depleting fish stocks the capture production is stagnating since 30 years whereas in the past 50 years the global production of aquacultural products increased by over 42 times from 1,5 M tons to 63,6 M tons. In the same time the human consumption raised from 9,9 kg to 18,1 kg per capita. But until 2012 only 3% of the produced amount was created by marine aquaculture. Together with the raised demand this huge gap indicates the growth potential of sustainable marine aquaculture in particular.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture

Driven by the lasting overfishing the stocks of many commercial valuable species are threatened. Especially the numbers of large predatory fishes like the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) decreased dramatically. Over the past decades the natural populations of the Atlantic Bluefin tuna have decreased markedly when compared with fisheries data from the past. Since 2008 with amendments in 2012 a reinforced multi-annual recovery plan has been in place for a period of 15 years regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) which strictly limits the amount of tuna which is allowed to be caught and sold legally. At the present time this quota is set at 13,500 tons.

Until now there is no real aquaculture for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean. The present strategy of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fisheries is to catch live and mature fish during their spawning migration, separate them into large net pens, tow them near the shore and fat them for several month until they get slaughtered. Mostly the fish caught have not spawned yet and do not start to spawn naturally during the fattening process. Due to these facts the actual way of tuna farming is not sustainable and supports the depression of the stocks.

Within the EU-funded DOTT, REPRODOTT, SELFDOTT and TRANSDOTT projects as well as in the Italian ALLOTUNA project the first European reproduction successes were achieved with assistance of TunaTech scientists. The ultimate aim of these projects was to replace wild caught fish with fish out of sustainable aquaculture which is still the main target TunaTech.

Shukry Na’amnieh is CEO of Tunatech and one of the founders. He did his doctor´s degree in enzyme & biotechnology with special emphasis on enzyme development through molecular engineering and synthesis of fine chemicals. Dr. Na’amnieh holds patents focusing on the biotechnology field and who has founded afterwards successfully numerous biotech companies like X-Zyme GmbH and multiBind biotec GmbH, RheinCell Therapeutics and more where he worked in leading positions. Dr. Na’amnieh is a member of the expert committee for entrepreneurship at the University of Düsseldorf. He completes the team in several issues and with his long-time experience as a CEO and also as a scientist he will contribute to achieve sustained success for the company.

Mr. Schulz CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of the TunaTech GmbH studied biology at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf and did his doctor´s degree with the focus on fish reproduction and fish physiology, especially for the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. Due to his long-term participation in several EU-projects dealing with the domestication of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, he gained expert knowledge in fish research and tuna aquaculture in the past 8 years. At that time amongst others he assumed care for the technical equipment and the development of self-made long term release implants for different hormones. Together with his colleague Mr. Florian Borutta he successfully applied for a founders grant (EXIST) financed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology and the European Structural Funds in the year 2012. Subsequently in 2013 both could achieve a follow-up financing by the Pre-Seed Grant sponsored by the Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf. These phases built up the base for the foundation of the TunaTech GmbH.

Mr. Bridges CCO (Chief Communications Officer) of TunaTech GmbH is employed since 1981 at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf and since 1992 he is professor at the Institute of Zoophysiology/WG Ecophysiology (today Institute of Metabolic Physiology).
During the last ten years he was cofounder/partner of/in consecutive EU-projects dealing with the domestication of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus), titled DOTT (Domestication of Thunnus thynnus, 2001-2002), REPRODOTT (Reproduction and domestication of Thunnus thynnus, 2003-2006), ALLOTUNA (Set up of an integrate system of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) farming in the Gulf of Taranto, 2007-2010) and SELFDOTT (Self-sustained aquaculture and domestication of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Thunnus thynnus, 2008-2011).  Due to the past assignments he can be considered as an authority in the field of tuna research and aquaculture with plenty of contacts around the world.

Mr. Borutta CSO (Chief Scientific Officer) of TunaTech GmbH did his diploma in biology at the Heinrich-Heine-University of Duesseldorf in the field of respiratory physiology of air breathing fishes. He received the doctor´s degree for his work on different molecular biological techniques to improve aquaculture and tuna aquaculture in particular. Due to his contribution in the above mentioned tuna EU-projects in the past 8 years he obtained professional unique know-how in this sector. He developed together with Mr. Schulz the products & services which comprises one part of the business of the TunaTech GmbH. As mentioned above he has been also significantly involved in the EXIST and Pre-Seed Grants.

Telephone: +49 (0) 211 83084979

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TunaTech GmbH