In October 2023, Spring Tilapia, then known as Spring Genetics, marked a major milestone: a successful management buyout from the company's previous owner, Benchmark Holdings. The move was led by Hideyoshi Segovia, who established a new company, Advanced Aquaculture Biotechnology, to carry out the transition and continue the work the team had already built.
The buyout followed years of close collaboration between the Spring Genetics team and Benchmark's geneticists, a partnership that helped shape the company's Tilapia Selective Breeding Program, aimed at improving growth, disease resistance, and sustainability in tilapia. Rather than parting ways, Spring Genetics and Benchmark entered a new partnership after the buyout, continuing to develop the breeding program together.
Hideyoshi Segovia, who became CEO of the new Advanced Aquaculture Biotechnology, described the milestone as "pushing the boundaries of what is possible in aquaculture genetics." He said the plan going forward was to keep working closely with Benchmark to advance the Tilapia Selective Breeding Program, for the benefit of customers and the industry as a whole.
He added that Spring Genetics and Benchmark remained united in their shared mission of bringing high-performance tilapia genetics to the broader industry and contributing to a more sustainable, thriving aquaculture sector.
A note for longtime followers: this milestone was announced under the Spring Genetics name. The company has since rebranded as Spring Tilapia, though the team and the mission behind it remain the same.
Read the original coverage on The Fish Site.