© PT Brother
PT Brother has chosen Ace Aquatec’s portable stunner system for its site in Cilacap, Indonesia, as the company begins a programme of welfare and harvesting improvements. With long distances between pens and processing creating potential transit times of up to 12 hours, the shrimp breeder identified that the longer specimens were transported before harvest, the more stressed they became, with quality also significantly reduced.
The solution was the A-HSU® for Shrimp in-water electric stunning system from award-winning aquaculture technology company Ace Aquatec. The mobility of the portable unit, meaning it can easily be manoeuvred between locations on the company’s 3.5 hectare site, was a key factor in the decision to install.
The A-HSU® system offers a chemical free, in-water electric stunning solution and is an effective and humane way to harvest shrimp, rendering shrimp fully unconscious in less than one second.
As well as improving shrimp welfare during harvesting and supporting PT Brother’s ambition to raise welfare standards in the region, the system is expected to significantly increase both harvest volume and product quality. Manual harvesting currently delivers an estimated one tonne every 45 minutes, while the A-HSU® system has the potential capacity to process up to eight tonnes per hour.
Riza Nugraha, president director at PT Brother said: “We chose Ace Aquatec's portable stunner to support our ambition to become a market leader in shrimp welfare. The system will dramatically cut transit time between our pens and processing operations, and Ace Aquatec will be key to helping us scale. Once rolled out across all three of our main sites, we expect to grow harvest volumes from around 350 tonnes per year at our Cilacap site to almost 2,150 tonnes.”
Tara McGregor-Woodhams, chief sales and marketing officer at Ace Aquatec, said: “We're proud to be working with PT Brother as they take a leadership position on shrimp welfare. Shrimp is one of the world's fastest-growing protein sources, and producers who prioritise welfare today are building a real competitive advantage as consumer and regulatory expectations continue to rise. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to welfare-first, sustainable aquaculture, and we look forward to seeing PT Brother lead the way.”
