Deal marks Ace Aquatec’s first venture into the Spanish market.
Dundee-based aquaculture technology firm Ace Aquatec has partnered with Spanish trout farmer Piszolla, owned by Aqualande, to install its Humane Stunner Universal (A-HSU) at Piszolla’s open pond farming site in Alba de Tormes, Salamanca.
Piszolla, which produces approximately 5,000 tonnes of trout annually for markets across Europe, will use Ace Aquatec’s stunning system to enhance animal welfare standards.
Piszolla, which was acquired by Aqualande in 2018, produces approximately 5,000 tons of trout per year which are supplied year-round to markets across Europe and also provides high-end smoked trout, a premium product sold to major supermarket chains.
With demand for ethically harvested fish growing in Europe, the installation reflects a growing trend towards higher standards of welfare in Spain and the Mediterranean region – a movement which Ace Aquatec’s technology is helping to facilitate.
Ace Aquatec’s A-HSU device stuns fish unconscious in less than a second, minimising handling requirements and thereby reducing stress for the fish, as well as enabling a safer and more efficient harvesting process, according to a press release from the company on Friday.
Ace Aquatec and Piszolla’s relationship began at the 2022 Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, and, with Europe likely to see the introduction of stronger welfare regulations in the coming years, the installation reinforces Piszolla’s position as trailblazers of more humane and sustainable practices in the Spanish trout farming industry.
Julio Hernandez, Regional Manager at Piszolla, commented, “The installation of Ace Aquatec’s trout stunner will enable us not only to streamline our operations, but also to break new ground for animal welfare standards in Spain. We aspire to be pioneers of humane harvesting standards in this region, and this technology is set to have a huge impact for us in terms of generating high-quality, high-welfare and sustainable products for consumers globally”.
Tara McGregor-Woodhams, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Ace Aquatec, added, “Piszolla’s steadfast commitment to enhancing welfare standards in their Spanish site closely aligns with our ethos of providing humane and sustainable aquaculture solutions, and we’re excited to be helping them to pave the way towards humane slaughter in Spain. Julio leads a forward-thinking, progressively minded team who are at the forefront of change in the region, and we’re looking forward to seeing where this new partnership will lead us”.
From their head office in Dundee, Scotland, Ace Aquatec manages global R&D projects, manufacturing at two UK factories, and co-ordinates installers, engineers, and distributors of their products worldwide. They have offices in Chile, Canada, and Norway and distribution partners in key markets.
