Ace Aquatec

Over the years, we have seen a significant increase in awareness for fish welfare and sustainability in aquaculture. With consumers, supermarkets and stakeholders requiring more humane food production practices, producers need reliable solutions that help secure a product that meets welfare and quality criteria. UK-based aquaculture technology provider Ace Aquatec’s goal is to accelerate the world’s adoption to sustainable aquaculture practices and enhance marine welfare by providing welfare-first technology.

Its products range from awardwinning in-water electric stunners and marine protection systems to biomass cameras. The A-HSU^® stunner guarantees humane harvesting by stunning fish insensible in-water, within less than a second, reducing stress for the fish and creating a safer work environment for staff. This system is available for all commercial fish species, including salmon, trout, tilapia, sea bass and bream, and prawns/shrimp. Ace Aquatec’s biomass cameras provide farmers with accurate biomass insights of their fish as they grow, and can help inform feeding and harvesting schedules, empowering producers in the UK, Australia, America, Greece, and Chile. Its protection systems safely move marine mammals away from offshore construction sites and fish farms.

Ace Aquatec’s high-welfare aquaculture solutions have been deployed by clients worldwide. Scottish Sea Farms have used its stunners since 2019 and have five systems at their processing factories in Scotland. Ace Aquatec has systems in Chile at Abick and AquaChile, in New Zealand at Sanford and trout systems in Japan and Denmark at Musholm and Cedar Crest in Canada.

Last year, Greece-based Philosofish installed two stunners for seabass and sea bream, leading the way for humane harvesting in the Mediterranean region. Regal Springs, one of the world’s largest tilapia producers adopted humane stunning at three of their main facilities in Mexico, Honduras and Indonesia, while in Australia; Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod successfully installed its first in-water trailer-mounted stunner for Cod.

Ace Aquatec’s latest product, the A-BIOMASS^® camera, was launched last year. The advanced underwater camera brings efficiency and precision to biomass measurement and uses AI and ML to identify fish and critical points. Tracking multiple fish, it collects significant amounts of data in a short time period. This helps farmers protect their fish stocks, understand the anticipated weights and full distribution of fish in the pens, and minimises handling and exposure to anaesthetic.

"We understand that sustainability is at the forefront of consumer’s minds. We’re focused on offering welfare-first sustainable technology that can be used across the fish production cycle, creating greater yields and more food, which is in line with the UN SDGs and commitment toward ending world hunger," says CSMO Tara McGregor-Woodhams.

These welfare-first solutions provide visibility and improvements across the production cycle, helping farmers to responsibly care for their fish as well as deliver quality food to the market. For example, Ace Aquatec is about to introduce more species-specific modules to its A-BIOMASS^® camera – Seabass and Tilapia models - that will help provide greater traceability from farm to fork.

By constantly developing intelligent farming products to improve fish quality and welfare, Ace Aquatec is leading the way in reducing environmental impacts within the sector. One of Ace Aquatec’s ambitions is to extend the global presence of these products in 2024 and bring its new sealice solution to maket in 2025.