'Retailers want suppliers to be laser focused on welfare': Seafood buyers, regulators heighten focus on animal welfare

UK-based aquaculture equipment maker Ace Aquatec is seeing a steady shift towards a higher emphasis on fish welfare and responsibly sourced seafood from retailers and regulatory bodies.

Supermarket buyers are increasingly requiring more humane food production practices, particularly around the harvesting of fish and seafood, Ace Aquatec CEO Nathan Pyne-Carter told IntraFish.

Ace Aquatec, which recently secured a £2.5million (€2.5 million/$3.1 million) investment, specializes in in-water electric stunners, marine mammal protection devices, biomass cameras, and sea lice removal systems.

The company has worked with all major UK retail chains, including Sainsbury’s on seabass and seabream, Tesco on prawns, and with high-end retailer Marks & Spencer on salmon.