Mike Forbes, left, pictured with managing director Nathan Pyne-Carter and the company's recently-developed 3D cage camera at Aquaculture UK in May, will pitch Ace Aquatec's HSU at Cold Harvest on Friday. Photo: FFE

Ace Aquatec plans stunning Canadian conference debut

Scottish aquaculture electronics innovator Ace Aquatec will make a first appearance at Atlantic Canada’s Cold Harvest conference and trade show this week to shine the spotlight on its award-winning HSU electric stunner.

Gareth Moore
Published Last updated

The Dundee-based firm’s head of sales and marketing, Mike Forbes, will give a presentation titled Innovations in humane electric stunning to an anticipated audience of around 250 aquaculture professionals at the event in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Friday afternoon’s 15-minute presentation about the HSU (Humane Stunner Universal) will cover:

  • different species that can be stunned – including salmon, sea trout, yellowtail, seabass, tilapia and crustaceans,
  • quantity - to 300 tonnes per hour in some new vessel installations
  • Other HSU applications such as stunning wild caught fish such as saithe, cod and haddock
  • Existing installations and quality work that has been done with Bristol University

The presentation will be followed by a five-minute question and answer session.

Nathan Pyne-Carter pictured with the NOK100,000 cheque that came with the Aqua Nor Innovation award last year. Photo: FFE

Ace Aquatec managing director Nathan Pyne-Carter said: “We have not ventured into East Canada yet with our electric stunner. This would be a great opportunity to establish contact with farmers in Canada that we have worked with, such as Cooke, and those we haven’t.

“There is also application for our deterrents systems in Labrador that currently faces some big problems with seals.”

Innovation Award

The HSU earned Ace Aquatec the prestigious Innovation Award at the world’s largest aquaculture trade fair, Aqua Nor, in Trondheim in August 2017.

The stunner system comprises three to five electrodes and connected switching electronics capable of rendering the fish unconscious within one second, without damage to the flesh.

“It is believed that the system has the potential to transform welfare and efficiencies in aquaculture and mariculture worldwide for fish and crustaceans,” the Aqua Nor jury said.

At the time, Pyne-Carter paid tribute to Scottish Sea Farms and external expert partners for helping develop the stunner.

Stewart Graham will give two presentations tomorrow. Photo: Gael Force

Social licence

Inverness-based aquaculture supplier Gael Force Group is also appearing at Cold Harvest for the first time. Managing director Stewart Graham, co-chair of the Scottish Aquaculture Industry Leadership Group, will give a speech on Thursday morning entitled Scottish Aquaculture Growth to 2030 – Earning Social Licence and Winning Public Trust.

On Thursday afternoon he will be one of 10 speakers talking about service and supply. Among the other speakers is Per Andreas Hjetland, chief operating officer of rival supplier AKVA, which this week announced it had secured an order for at least eight feed barges from Grieg NL, which is starting a large salmon farming operation in Placentia Bay.

Gael Force announced yesterday that it plans to expand operations to Atlantic Canada, including establishing a service team in the country.

The Cold Harvest conference and trade show is organised by the Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA). The keynote speaker for this year’s 25th anniversary event is marine ecologist Steve Gaines, dean of the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

He will be will be speaking on the future of food and how responsible increases in global protein production must focus on gains in finfish and shellfish production.

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