MariCal, Inc. headquartered in Portland, Maine was founded in 1996 and is a privately held animal health and nutrition biotechnology company.
The Company's proprietary technology is based on the fundamental roles that polyvalent cation and nutrient sensing receptors called Calcium Sensing Receptor (CaSR) proteins play in the physiological processes of the various life stages of animals.
In 2002, MariCal's research led to a series of discoveries recognizing that CaSRs are fundamental salinity-nutrient sensing receptors in aquatic organisms and central to osmotic regulation.
MariCal introduced its first commercial application of the CaSR technology to the global salmon aquaculture industry for improved smoltification of salmonid species, the SuperSmolt Program.
In 2006, MariCal introduced its second aquaculture industry application of the CaSR technology for the low salinity production of marine food fish, specifically, cobia. MariCal commercialized this technology application through the joint venture formation of Low Salinity Inc. (LSI), the parent company to Virginia Cobia Farms.