© Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod
The introduction of the company’s innovative in-water stunning technology, which has a demonstrable track record of reducing stress to fish at the point of harvest, will help facilitate Murray Cod’s commitment to humane farming processes, as well as contribute towards furthering ethical practices in the region.
Based in the Riverina, New South Wales, Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod grows the fish in self-contained units within the Murray-Darling basin - the fish's native environment and aims to produce and sell 10,000 tonnes of Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod by 2030.
© Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod
Mat Ryan, managing director of Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod, said in a press release: “fish welfare is of the utmost importance to us and we are excited to be able to use the stunning equipment from Ace Aquatec that allows us to maximise the fish welfare outcomes from our harvesting process. This means that fish will not be handled at all until post-stunning during the harvest process, which also significantly reduces our labour requirements and minimises any injury risk to staff.”
Ace Aquatec’s chief sales and marketing officer, Tara McGregor-Woodhams, added: “With the theme of humane harvesting continuing to dominate discussions globally, we are excited to see Murray Cod’s highly skilled production team adopt our in-water stunning technology as a core element in their processing strategy. This will enhance their quality and welfare first promise to their customers.’
Australian supplier Fresh by Design, appointed by Ace Aquatec as their first distributor in the APAC region earlier this year, will supply and install the cod stunning system and also provide ongoing servicing and support with comprehensive advice on its implementation.
Fresh by Design general manager, Lachlan Bassett said: “This is a key milestone for fish welfare in Australia with Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod the first producer to implement the Ace Aquatec in-water stunning system for cod. We are proud to be involved with this project and to provide our support to Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod”.
