Nathan Pyne-Carter, CEO of award-winning aquaculture technology company Ace Aquatec, discusses how innovation can deliver greater sustainability for the North American aquaculture industry.
FROM PEN TO PLATE
We’re consuming more seafood than ever, but with growing consumer demand for higher welfare produce, is the aquaculture industry doing enough to address this demand as it treads the line between quality and quantity?
The aquaculture sector is reliably providing 130.9 million tons of produce globally, and we are seeing a trend toward improving welfare practices across several markets – from Japan to Canada.
This trend is driven, in part, by consumer demand – with some willing to spend around 9.7 percent more for sustainably sourced goods – and, in part, by the desire to improve conditions for workers producing the food and greater operational efficiency in a competitive landscape.
Similarly, restauranteurs are beginning to see the reputational and quality benefits of serving responsibly sourced, high welfare seafood in their restaurants.
In the US, sushi chefs, for example, are sourcing fish locally, reducing the footprint of imports from Japan while supporting local economies. We’re also seeing this mirrored on grocery store shelves across North America, despite the growing cost of living.
A notable example is Canadian food and pharmacy retailer, Loblaw, who in 2015 met its commitment to sourcing all seafood from fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), farms certified by the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC), or products certified by an equivalent standard – though there is still some way to go for its competitors.
In the UK, meanwhile, recent pledges from leading food retailer, Waitrose, will see the supermarket brand work with suppliers to trial electrical stunning for warm water prawns in partnership with the Shrimp Welfare Project – a project Ace Aquatec is proud to support.
From chefs to local grocery stores, the traceability and accountability of seafood is becoming more and more important in meeting demand.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Of course, the consumer relationship is important, but what about quality? There is a direct relationship between the quality of life of the fish and the quality of the produce on our plates.
We are seeing the emergence of groundbreaking technologies, from hatchery to harvest, that are working to reduce mortality, stress, and disease, and ultimately improve yield.
We know that stressed fish can lead to a drop in quality and shelf life, which is why Ace Aquatec has created an in-water, humane stunning system that keeps fish in water, stunning them insensible in less than a second.
Legislation and regulatory changes have played a part in driving up welfare standards, too. Ahead of new legislation coming into play in Canada, Ace Aquatec’s team recently launched a new skid-based version of its in-water stunner to the North American market.
This system was designed with Canadian producers in mind so they could process trout lakeside in sub-zero temperatures and meet stringent new regulations from The National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) under the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Farmed Salmonids, approved by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness (OMAFA).
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS
A phenomenon that touches all aspects of our lives is the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Rapid advancements in this area present both opportunities and challenges for the aquaculture industry. In response, Ace Aquatec launched its A-BIOMASS® camera in 2024.
This small, highly accurate piece of equipment enables farmers to effectively monitor fish length, height, and weight which, in turn, allows for more efficient feed conversion and reduced wastage.
Similarly, the technology can effectively monitor individual fish through spot pattern markings and identify disease and wounds that may otherwise be missed, further reducing mortality and improving the overall health of the fish.
Data from the camera is fed into Ace Aquatec’s intelligent portal, which also connects third-party application programming interfaces (APIs) on weather, water quality, temperature, and farm operating systems to provide smart insights that help farmers grow their fish intelligently and make real-time, data-driven decisions.
Despite global uncertainty surrounding import tariffs in North America and Europe, with the right technology in place, we can support these markets in meeting the growing demand for high welfare seafood while streamlining business processes to ensure efficient and cost-effective seafood production – taking some of the risk out of farming.
A HIGH WELFARE FUTURE
We at Ace Aquatec remain positive and see a path forward for aquaculture and related industries through a program of innovation and best practice.
From the outset, our vision has been to support the aquaculture industry to become the most sustainable source of food production, with innovation and adaptability at its heart.
I’m heartened to see so many producers working across a range of species putting animal and employee welfare at the core of their business.
I call on industry leaders, producers, and innovators to continue along this path, despite global trading pressures and environmental challenges. In doing so, a blue economy that meets global demands while striving for the highest welfare standards is firmly in our sights.
