MMC First Process systems ensure gentle and sustainable fish handling

Fish harvested from fish farms and by fishing vessels are put through a long process involving many steps before they are ready to be shipped to customers.

Throughout this process, fish are vulnerable to stress, disease and damage. It is estimated that fish farms and wild-catch fisheries can lose a large portion of their yield due to sub-optimal handling, processing and cooling of fish.

This is not only detrimental to the fish and the environment, but is a waste of nutritious food that is needed to feed a growing global population.

Sustainable fish handling systems

Pooling expertise from onshore, onboard and aquaculture fish handling, MMC First Process offers complete system solutions for handling and processing live fish. The company’s systems provide optimal conditions for fish from the moment they are pulled out of the water until they are ready for filleting or further processing.

MMC First Process systems cover all stages of live fish transfer, transportation and storage and can be tailored to customer needs. The systems incorporate 27 unique solutions to ensure that fish experience gentle handling, minimal stress and optimal water conditions at all times. These include an energy-efficient fish pump, stress-free waiting tanks and a state-of-the-art water quality monitoring system.

All of this ensures good fish welfare and forms the foundation for a high-quality product.

Concrete benefits

MMC First Process systems have been proven to reduce biomass loss. This allows customers to cut costs and wastage, while increasing capacity and efficiency, thereby creating real and measurable value.

Moreover, improving fish welfare enables customers to produce a higher quality product that will fetch a higher price. It is also essential to minimising environmental impact, for example from fish mortality.

Market potential

The demand for solutions that increase seafood production efficiency is expected to grow in the years to come. Currently, only 17 per cent of the protein consumed worldwide comes from the ocean, but this figure is estimated to rise to 40 per cent by 2050.

MMC First Process delivers solutions to industry leaders in aquaculture and pelagic fisheries around the world, with particularly strong customer bases in Asia, Europe and South America. The company had a turnover of roughly USD 38 million in 2019, experiencing 50 per cent growth that same year.