JBT Marel has announced a strategic partnership with Ace Aquatec aimed at enhancing the seafood value chain. This collaboration will provide a comprehensive product line that spans from harvesting to processing, complete with data insights software.
Ace Aquatec’s award-winning Humane Stunner Universal (A-HSU) exemplifies this commitment to animal welfare. Designed to ensure humane, welfare-first stunning, the A-HSU minimizes stress during harvesting—an essential factor affecting seafood quality. It stuns fish insensibly in a controlled, in-water environment in less than one second. This multi-award-winning system synergizes seamlessly with JBT Marel’s extensive fish processing portfolio.
Fish processors will gain a competitive edge through the integration of both portfolios. This collaboration will not only yield enhanced processing outcomes but also lower production costs, increase profits, and ensure full traceability in the production process. Given that 85% of UK consumers believe farmed fish should have higher welfare protection, the partnership between JBT Marel and Ace Aquatec ensures that consumers can be confident in their purchasing choices while enjoying fish with improved welfare credentials and a reduced environmental footprint.
Commenting on this new partnership, Skuli Sigurdsson, vice president of fish at JBT Marel, stated that the collaboration with Ace Aquatec reinforces their shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and enhanced fish welfare.
“By combining our expertise in food processing with Ace Aquatec’s stunning technology, we can deliver a comprehensive, humane, and efficient solution that enhances seafood processing and meets the demands of clients and consumers alike,” he remarked. “This collaboration bridges a key gap in the processing line, allowing us to drive positive change and offer customers cost-effective, sustainable solutions while delivering high-quality seafood focused on ethics and care.”
Nathan Pyne-Carter, CEO of Ace Aquatec, added that starting 2025 as a strategic partner with a global company like JBT Marel is an exciting development for everyone at Ace Aquatec and those advocating for improved fish welfare standards globally.
“This partnership will enable the delivery of comprehensive in-line solutions for the aquaculture sector and reflects our shared commitment to transforming the seafood processing industry globally,” Pyne-Carter said. “Together, we’re ready to set new standards in welfare-first innovation, efficiency, and sustainability.”
