Marine Biotech
— February 11, 2008

FEBRUARY 11, 2008, ORLANDO, FL:  Aquatic Eco-Systems, Inc., a leading provider of products and services for the aquatic industry, announced today the acquisition of Marine Biotech, Inc., a company specialized in the engineering, fabrication and fulfillment of aquatic life support systems. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Todd Childress, President of Aquatic Eco-Systems, commented, "The combination of Marine Biotech's product lines with those of our Aquatic Habitats division, along with our combined engineering resources, will allow us to build and improve upon the cutting-edge systems we currently supply to the laboratory animal marketplace. The blend of industry-leading products, aquaculture engineering experience and proven track record of successful projects will set us apart from other providers in this industry. We can provide unparalleled service of our systems, safeguarding the care and use of the aquatic animals and allowing the scientists and researchers to focus on their research." Aquatic Eco-Systems has over 30 engineers, biologists and technicians dedicated to research in support of the aquatics industry. The combination of these two businesses is expected to create the world's largest provider of rack-based habitat systems for zebrafish and other aquatic species used in biomedical, pharmaceutical and genetic research.

Dr. Jean-Luc Nogues, Aquatic Habitats Division Director, added, "This acquisition represents a fantastic opportunity that will allow us to offer more comprehensive product lines. The combined efforts of Aquatic Habitats and Marine Biotech will also speed up the development and introduction of enhanced systems and services, to the benefit of our clients in the research and academic communities. The application of aquatic animals in laboratory animal medicine is helping to drive advances in medical and pharmaceutical research."

Steve Aldrich, President of Marine Biotech, noted, "We see this as a truly synergistic combination that marries the strengths of both companies. This improves our product portfolio in both the aquaria rack market and the aquaculture market. The geographic reach of the combined companies will also allow us to better meet the ongoing preventive maintenance and service requirements of our broad client base. Our entire team looks forward to fulfilling the promise of constant improvement in our products and service, made more real by this transaction." Mr. Childress added, "This opens an exciting chapter for both companies. In the end, the customer is the real winner."

The FinCensus® from Aquatic Habitats® will reduce the time and effort spent recording and analyzing typical fish facility data, such as crosses, mutations and employee care responsibilities. Once you have the FinCensus® you don't have to rely solely on data recorded in notebooks, which could be lost or damaged beyond legibility, or start the time-consuming task of creating a home-grown database.

Aquatic Habitats® provides a 2-year warranty on our aquatic housing systems. If you have a problem, call our emergency support line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for immediate assistance.