Japanese farmer on-board with second stunner
01 August 2024
A Japanese trout farmer has installed a second Ace Aquatec humane stunning system following the positive customer response to its first in-water electric stunner.
Japan Salmon Farm, which farms rainbow trout in the Sea of Japan, has opted for a vessel-based Ace Aquatec Humane Stunner Universal (A-HSU®) this time, which was recently fitted to one of its workboats.
The new installation enables the company to harvest at its farms offshore, where water temperatures are colder, allowing more time in the sea for its stocks and prioritising freshness and quality.
Japan Salmon Farm CEO Kosuke Suzuki said when it came to installing an on-board stunning system there was only one supplier the company looked at, following the success of its first stunner, positioned at the water’s edge in the port of Aomori, in the Tsugaru Strait.
‘We had already seen the change in the meat texture of our fish when we switched from dry stunning in electrified nets to the in-water Ace Aquatec technology three years ago. The freshness of the meat is very important, especially for sushi, and almost all our customers, whether in the sushi chain or supermarkets, noticed a difference and are very satisfied with the quality.’
In the A-HSU® fish are stunned in less than one second, with minimal stress or handling prior to slaughter. This results in less bruising, blood-spotting and skin damage and also reduces levels of cortisol, which is released when fish are stressed, lowering the quality of the fillet.
The system is also much easier to use for Japan Salmon staff, said Suzuki, achieving 100 per cent stunning and twice as fast production rates.
‘Our harvesting output has almost doubled, from 1,600 tonnes last year to an expected 2,500-3,000 tonnes this year.’
The latest installation was facilitated by Ace Aquatec Senior Field Services Manager Ian Lawson, who was able to work with the farm team in Japan.
‘We were very happy to meet him,’ said Suzuki, ‘especially because the last time, Covid restrictions meant we had to do the installation by ourselves, although it’s always easy to trouble shoot remotely when dealing with Ace Aquatec’s experts.’
Ace Aquatec Senior Technical Sales and Partnerships Manager Tom Cryans agreed that the working relationship with Japan Salmon Farm, despite the distance from Ace’s Scottish base, is excellent.
‘We work very collaboratively, our team is always on hand and ready to help, and it’s very easy to communicate with Kosuke, so getting things done isn't a problem.’
The partnership between Ace Aquatec and Japan Salmon was established during Suzuki’s regular visits to Musholm A/S, which has been farming rainbow trout on Denmark’s Great Belt since 1979 and has two A-HSU®s, both installed on board boats.
Musholm – which, like Japan Salmon Farm, is part of Japan’s Okamura Food Co. Ltd group – was an early advocate of Ace Aquatec’s stunner and the first to fit an on-board system, and Suzuki saw for himself the increased productivity at the Danish farms.
Japan Salmon Farm, which in 2019 became the first salmonid producer in Japan to obtain ASC salmon standard certification, is also proud to be a trail blazer for welfare issues in the Japanese seafood sector, said Suzuki.
‘We are a step ahead compared to our Japanese competitors and will continue to lead the way here in Japan, and as we develop our export markets in South-East Asia. Looking to the future, we have ambitions to expand and already have licences to produce more than 10,000 tonnes. With the efficiency of our humane harvesting operations, we are starting to get bigger and bigger.’
