Optimar takes the lead in electrical stunning

Our Electric Stunner is part of study – with great results

During the last year Tesco, Hilton Seafood and Amanda Seafood has collaborated in a study. The study; Electric stunning trials in commercial setting was performed with our well-known Optimar Electrical Stunner. The report were presented by Ben Wise, Aquaculture Manager at Tesco, and the results are obvious.

Key benefits of electrical stunning system compared to immersion in ice slurry, by Tesco:

• Less handling of animals
• Reduction in crowding times (in ponds)
• Easier access to measure effectiveness
• Consistency on stun delivery
• Faster method to render animals unconscious and insensible to pain
• Greater efficiency and reduction in labour in harvest process, although initial investments required to implement the technology are high.

- Ben Weis, Head of Aquaculture Tesco

You can read the full reports from Tesco and Hilton Seafood here:

• tesco-and-hilton-seafood-case-study-improving-the-welfare-of-whiteleg-shrimp-at-harvest (1)
• tesco-driving-innovation-in-humane-fish-slaughter (1)

All animals killed for food should be slaughtered humanely. This means that they must be effectively stunned, rendered instantaneously insensible, and remain unconsciousness until death supervenes.

Optimar Electric Stunner

Since 2009 we have sold more then 600 stunners to fish farming, shore factories and onboard vessels / wild fish catching.

The stunner is approved for different species

The stunner is approved for both wildcath and farmed, such as:

Wild fish:

• Cod, Haddock, Saithe, Whiting, Catfish, Halibuta and Mackerel

Crustaceous:

• Crabs, Lobster, Shrimps (L. Vannamei etc) and our latest development for Nephrops.

Farmed Fish:

• Salmon, Trout, Atlantic Char, Seabass, Sea bream, Eel, Catfish (Pangasius) Turbot, Barramundi and Yellow tail.

Advantages with using the Electric Stunner

• Well tested over 13 years and recommended by Norwegian authorities
• Consuming very little electric power (3kW), tested with EEG on several species.
• Less corrosion
• Software adjustable for different current dependent on specie
• Flexible Capacity (from several 100 tons/day to laboratory tests)
• Flexible pricing

Optimar Stun and Bleed Solution

Our stunner can be used as a single unit or in a factory line such as our stun and bleed solution. The animation under shows how the fish moves through water until it reaches the stunner and are sedated before gutted. With high focus on minimizing the number of times the animal is handled, we are able to maintain animal welfare through the whole process until slaughtering.

If you want to know more about all the benefits of electric stunning and humane slaughtering, please contact our Aquaculture sales team.