Ace Aquatec, a British aquaculture technology company, has announced the successful closing of its latest investment round, led by Stolt Ventures, with participation from Scottish Enterprise and Aqua-Spark.
The round, consisting of £7.5 million in equity funding plus an additional £2.5 million debt facility, will support the continued development of AI and its role alongside sensors, cameras, and machine learning algorithms.
These developments are designed to offer real-time insight to optimise welfare from cage operations through to harvest, enhancing efficiency and improving profitability for fish farmers.
Ace Aquatec provides customers with AI cameras able to accurately track fish weights, detect health issues (such as wounds or maturation), and track individuals in multiple species.
It also produces humane slaughter systems for farmed and wild fish using electricity in water. New sea lice removal systems, utilising these same technologies, are being prepared for commercialisation.
Wider changes will see Axel de Mégille, head of Stolt Ventures, joining the board as a non-executive director. Stolt Ventures is the corporate investment arm of Stolt-Nielsen.