Alternative feed producer Veramaris named Ragnhild Bleken Rud as business development manager, effective June.

Veramaris poached Rud from Kverva-owned fish health company PatoGen, where she also served as business development manager for more than three years.

She also held a leading role in Cryogenetics, a cryopreservation firm for Atlantic salmon.

Veramaris received US Food and Drug Administration (USDA) approval on June 5, clearing the way for the sale of its feed to US fish farmers.

Nine months after production began, the USDA awarded the alternative algal oil company its Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) approval for use by commercial aquaculture in the United States.

Veramaris has invested over $200 million in a new plant in Blair, Nebraska, which makes omega-3 oil from natural marine algae using regular sugar as the source of energy.