Kennebec River Biosciences (KRB) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Kathleen Hartman as a Staff Veterinarian.Deep Experience in Shrimp and Finfish HealthDr. Hartman brings over 30 years of experience at the highest levels of aquatic livestock health, inspection, epidemiology, and regulation. Her leadership spans over 22 years at USDA APHIS, where she served as an aquaculture epidemiologist, an aquaculture trade coordinator, and program leader for aquatic animal health. At USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, she led responses to aquatic animal disease emergencies, developed the framework for the Comprehensive Aquaculture Health Program Standards (CAHPS), and led other foundational initiatives to protect U.S. aquatic livestock and support U.S. farmers, exporters, and veterinarians.“Everything We Could Wish For”“KRB delivers first-class customer service and care to all its clients worldwide, whether it’s diagnostics, inspection services, or vaccine and probiotic products. KRB is best in class!” says Hartman. “I am so excited to be joining such a great team and helping them deliver value and service to their clients.” “Kathleen is everything we could wish for in an aquatic livestock veterinarian, bringing expertise not only in fish health but also in shrimp” said President and CEO Bill Keleher. “She is a problem-solver with a deep background in aquaculture health, known by farmers and aquatic animal health leaders both nationally and internationally for her energy, expertise, and enthusiasm.”An Award-Winning LeaderDr. Hartman holds a doctorate in fish health and a DVM from the VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, a Master of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park in fish nutrition, and a BA from Sweet Briar College. In 2022, she was awarded the National Aquaculture Association’s Joseph P. McCraren Award for her outstanding contributions in promoting the growth of aquaculture. In 2024, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. Aquaculture Society. She remains active in the World Aquaculture Society as a Board Director.About Kennebec River Biosciences:Headquartered in Maine, KRB has been a trusted partner since 1996 to finfish, bivalve shellfish, and shrimp producers around the world, providing health solutions such as USDA export certification testing, advanced diagnostics and biosurveillance, and USDA-licensed, autogenous...

Strain-specific vaccines now available internationally and in all US states Richmond, Maine — Kennebec River Biosciences’ announced today that it is now fully approved by the USDA’s Center for Veterinary Biologics to produce autogenous vaccines for fish. This approval greatly expands KRB’s ability to design and provide custom, strain-specific health solutions both to the aquaculture sector and to resource agencies worldwide. Unlike others, KRB CustomTM vaccines target the specific strains of bacteria and/or virus found at the client’s farm or facility. KRB’s veterinarians have made fish vaccines in this way for years, for clients in states where they were licensed. Now, KRB CustomTM autogenous fish vaccines are available in all U.S. states, as well as internationally. Susan Marcquenski, a Fish Health Specialist from Wisconsin, praises KRB for their “consistent, extremely effective autogenous vaccines.” A key advantage of KRB CustomTM vaccines is their connection to KRB’s experienced, high-throughput laboratory. The largest commercial fish health lab in the Americas, KRB has performed diagnostics and inspections for over 20 years, and offers more USDA-APHIS approved assays for export testing than any other lab. “Accurate detection and diagnosis is a core competency for us,” says Dr. Cem Giray, COO and Laboratory Manager. “By sampling on a regular basis and by producing our vaccines from recent, farm-specific isolates, we provide our clients with a precisely targeted solution.” To produce their vaccines, scientists at Kennebec River Biosciences use the pathogens most recently isolated from fish at individual farms or hatcheries. After identification, characterization and subsequent growth under optimized culture conditions, candidate organisms are inactivated and included in a vaccine. Each vaccine serial is rigorously tested to ensure its quality as well as its safety in fish. KRB clients praise the company’s proactive, full-service approach to fish health. According to George Nardi, founder of Great Bay Aquaculture, KRB provides “solutions for health needs that are tailored to my business.” Greg Lambert of Cooke Aquaculture USA, a longtime client, says “the personal relationships are excellent as is the regulatory assistance in determining what testing is required for a given situation. The vaccine production incorporated recently is an added bonus. Additionally, KRB is very flexible in working around our schedule which is always appreciated.” KRB can produce either immersion or injectable custom vaccines. Immersion vaccines are administered to fish through the gills and the gut by exposing fish to specific dilutions of the vaccine in hatchery water for a specific period of time. According to Dr. Peter Merrill, a KRB veterinarian and Director of Regulatory Affairs, “the use of immersion vaccines in fish as small as 5 grams can be an important factor in an integrated fish health management program.” Injectable vaccines are typically administered through intraperitoneal injection in larger fish,...