Dagon Aquaculture

What Dagon Aquaculture does

Dagon Aquaculture is a privately-held Israeli marine finfish hatchery headquartered at Kibbutz Maagan Michael on the Mediterranean coast, founded in 1978 and operating with 51-100 employees. The company produces fingerlings of six species — Hybrid Striped Bass, Barramundi, Red Drum, Gilthead Seabream, Seabass, and Grey Mullet — on a year-round basis through proprietary genetically enhanced broodstock, controlled artificial spawning, and species-specific live feed production. Its integrated infrastructure includes 1,040 m³ of larvae rearing tanks, 1,480 m³ of nursery ponds, a 40-pond intensive grow-out facility using recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), an on-site fish health laboratory with Phibro-supported vaccination, and a 24/7 IoT-based monitoring system for water quality. Sales are direct B2B to commercial fish farms in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the United States, with all pricing conducted on a quote basis.

The business model is anchored on one-time fingerling sales as the dominant revenue stream, supplemented by external consulting and hatchery design services (planning, construction, data analysis, cost accounting) offered to other finfish hatcheries. Dagon participates in joint R&D programs — notably the Grey Mullet All-Female Project with Hebrew University's Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture and Israel's Fisheries Research Station at Dor — and partners with the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture, Israel Innovation Authority, and international capacity-building programs such as AgroStudies. Ownership is cooperative (Kibbutz-based), with no disclosed external venture or private equity investors, no revenue disclosure, and no funding rounds in the available record. The management team is technically deep and long-tenured: CEO Boaz Ginzbourg (16 years), COO Moti Shlomovitch (13 years), and Broodstock head Gilad Hasson since 1995.

Name

Dagon Aquaculture

Legal name

Dagon Aquaculture

Website

https://dagon-aquaculture.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dagon Aquaculture is a Kibbutz Maagan Michael, Israel-based marine finfish hatchery that produces year-round fingerlings of six species (Hybrid Striped Bass, Barramundi, Red Drum, Seabream, Seabass, Grey Mullet) for commercial fish farms across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the US.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Aquaculture / Finfish Hatchery

NAICS

Finfish Farming and Fish Hatcheries (112511)

SIC

Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Hatchery, Nursery & Seed Production (aquaculture-specific) (AFAEAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Finfish Farming (e.g., salmon, tilapia, catfish) (AFAEAAAA), Aquaculture Health, Biosecurity & Veterinary Services (AFAEAAAK), Aquaculture Processing & On-Farm Value-Add (primary handling, icing, packing) (AFAEAAAN)

Keywords

• Marine finfish hatchery
• Fish fingerlings production
• Multi-species aquaculture
• Recirculating aquaculture systems
• Ornamental fish breeding

Headquarters

HQ city

Kibbutz Afikim

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fish Fingerling Sales: Production and sale of fingerlings of multiple fish species including Hybrid Striped Bass, Barramundi, Red Drum, Gilthead Seabream, Seabass, and Grey Mullet to fish farms worldwide. The company manages the complete delivery process from hatchery to customer farm.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dagon Aquaculture is a multi-species marine finfish hatchery that produces and sells year-round fingerlings of six species (Hybrid Striped Bass, Barramundi, Red Drum, Gilthead Seabream, Seabass, and Grey Mullet) to commercial fish farms worldwide. The company manages the full production cycle from broodstock management and egg collection through larvae rearing, live feed production, nursery, and grow-out, with complete delivery logistics from hatchery to customer farm. Supplementary offerings include external hatchery design consulting, R&D programs (Grey Mullet All-Female Project, White Grouper), live feed supply, and fish health and vaccination services.

Product overview

Dagon Aquaculture operates as a multi-species marine finfish hatchery producing year-round fingerlings of six fish species (Hybrid Striped Bass, Barramundi, Red Drum, Gilthead Seabream, Seabass, and Grey Mullet). The company manages the complete production cycle from egg to fingerling delivery, supported by internal R&D programs (Grey Mullet All-Female Project and White Grouper Program), live feed production facilities, fish health/vaccination services, and an intensive grow-out operation. External consulting services covering hatchery design, data analysis, and cost accounting are offered to other finfish hatcheries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fish Fingerlings (Multi-Species) Year-round production and global sale of fingerlings of six marine finfish species (Hybrid Striped Bass, Barramundi, Red Drum, Gilthead Seabream, Seabass, and Grey Mullet) produced through artificial spawning under controlled hatchery conditions, delivered to commercial fish farms worldwide.
• Consulting and Hatchery Design Services External consulting services offered to other finfish hatcheries, covering hatchery design from planning to construction, data analysis, and cost accounting to help clients optimize production and sustainability.
• Fish Health and Vaccination Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Hybrid Striped Bass feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 0.8-1.4
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative R&D partnership for the Grey Mullet All-Female Project. The project is jointly managed by professional teams from both organizations, creating single-sex all-female fish populations using males with feminine genotypes from Dagon's distinctive broodstock. This collaboration has achieved better population growth rates of fish fingerlings.
• Fisheries Research Station at Dor (Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in the Grey Mullet All-Female Project, working alongside Dagon and the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture to develop all-female grey mullet populations for improved aquaculture yields.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Israel)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partner providing regulatory support and collaboration on agricultural initiatives. Dagon participates in dual education programs and international capacity building initiatives organized in collaboration with this ministry.
• Phibro Animal Health Corporation (Phibro)majorTechnology or IntegrationVaccine supplier partnership providing Tailor-Made vaccines for Dagon's on-site fish vaccination program. Phibro supplies safe and highly effective vaccines to maintain fish health based on customer preferences.
• Israel Innovation AuthorityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment innovation agency supporting R&D initiatives and technological advancement in aquaculture sector.
• GranotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a partner organization, nature of collaboration appears to be in agricultural/aquaculture sector cooperation.
• AgroStudiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational program in collaboration with Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture. Dagon participates in providing immersive aquaculture experiences and specialized courses for international students, contributing to global food security through capacity building.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Benchmark Genetics: UK/Norway-based aquaculture breeding company producing genetically improved eggs and fingerlings for salmon, sea bream, and other finfish; directly comparable as a B2B multi-species fingerling supplier with proprietary breeding programs targeting grow-out farms globally.
• Hendrix Genetics Aquaculture: Netherlands-headquartered multi-species animal breeding company with a dedicated aquaculture division producing fingerlings and genetic lines for salmon, trout, shrimp, and sea bass/bream; comparable business model and end customers (commercial grow-out farms).
• SalmoBreed (SalMar Genetics): Norwegian salmon genetics and egg supplier providing year-round ova and smolt to salmon growers; comparable as a vertically integrated breeding company selling live juvenile fish to commercial farms.
• Ardag / Red Sea Mariculture: Israeli marine finfish hatchery located in Eilat producing gilthead seabream, European seabass, and other Mediterranean species; one of the closest direct peers given shared geography, Mediterranean species focus, and B2B fingerling model.
• Nireus Aquaculture (Andromeda Group): Greek aquaculture major (now part of Andromeda Seafood) producing fingerlings and market-sized gilthead seabream and European seabass; comparable Mediterranean-species hatchery supplying farms across the same European, North African, and Middle Eastern markets as Dagon.
• Acuicultura Tres Marias: Spanish marine finfish hatchery producing seabream, seabass, and sole fingerlings for Mediterranean grow-out operators; comparable multi-species hatchery with international B2B distribution.
• MainStream Aquaculture: Australian barramundi hatchery and grower producing fingerlings and market fish for Asia-Pacific; comparable as a focused, single-species year-round barramundi operation with international fingerling shipments.

Emerging players

• AquaBounty Technologies: US-listed aquaculture genetics company producing genetically engineered salmon eggs and fingerlings; comparable as a hatchery-tier supplier leveraging proprietary genetic technology to differentiate fingerlings.
• The Kingfish Company: Netherlands-based producer of RAS-farmed yellowtail kingfish with in-house hatchery; comparable marine finfish operation using closed-loop RAS technology and premium B2B supply to European markets.

Others

• AquaMaof Aquaculture Technologies: Israeli RAS technology provider designing and building land-based recirculating aquaculture systems; adjacent peer as an Israeli-based aquaculture enabler whose technology underpins intensive marine finfish production, including Dagon's own facility.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DagonAquaculture
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dag-on
• Instagraminstagram.com/invites/contact/?igsh=1s4lzc86aup0j&utm_content=utu7ie7

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dagon Aquaculture