NEW ZEALAND Pet project - Aquaculture New Zealand · AquAculture October 2014 NEW ZEALAND Akaroa...

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October 2014 AQUACULTURE NEW ZEALAND Akaroa Salmon New Zealand Aquaculture Conference, October 23-24 Q&A with John Young Pet project By-product revenue

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Page 1: NEW ZEALAND Pet project - Aquaculture New Zealand · AquAculture October 2014 NEW ZEALAND Akaroa Salmon New Zealand Aquaculture Conference, October 23-24 Q&A with John Young Pet project

October 2014

AquAcultureNEW ZEALAND

Akaroa Salmon

New Zealand Aquaculture Conference,

October 23-24

Q&A with John Young

Pet projectBy-product revenue

Page 2: NEW ZEALAND Pet project - Aquaculture New Zealand · AquAculture October 2014 NEW ZEALAND Akaroa Salmon New Zealand Aquaculture Conference, October 23-24 Q&A with John Young Pet project

Space WatchEleven resource consents covering 115 hectares of new farming space have been issued since May. That makes a total of 86 new applications approved for 305 hectares since the 2011 law reforms, with a further 27 applications for 457 hectares currently before regional councils. (Excludes spat catching applications in the Western Firth)

GG visits HavelockThe Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae got a taste of the Havelock aquaculture industry late last month when Sanford hosted him on a tour of their mussel farms and processing plant.

Sir Jerry ate several mussels raw, straight off the line before Sanford Aquaculture Manager Ted Culley cooked up his two signature mussel dishes.

As well as enjoying the product, Sir Jerry was also impressed with the overall industry.

“The real thing I’m going away with from here is the passion with which people are doing this and their spinoffs. It’s not just mussels, it’s also the technology behind it and innovation used to create other products,” he told Marlborough Express during his visit.

Ahead of his visit, Sir Jerry was briefed on the history, potential and goals of the sector as well as the significant economic contribution it makes to the local community.

Auckland plan hearingsAQNZ is coordinating industry input into the Proposed Auckland Unitary Plan hearings which will take place over the coming months. Environment Manager Rebecca Clarkson has contacted each industry representative who made a submission and will be seeking legal and planning expertise where appropriate. For more information contact [email protected].

Lead MinisterNathan Guy remains the lead Minister for aquaculture following Prime Minister John Key’s cabinet appointments this month.

News that Minister Guy had retained the Primary Industries portfolio was welcomed across the sector following his strong performance in the role during the previous term. His priority of working to double export earnings by 2025, complements the aquaculture target to reach $1Billion by the same year.

NZ’s first aquaculture degree Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (NMIT) is set to launch New Zealand’s first aquaculture degree with a vocationally-focussed Bachelor of Aquaculture and Marine Conservation on offer from 2015.

In addition to the degree, NMIT will also launch a Postgraduate Diploma in Sustainable Aquaculture. Both courses are unique in New Zealand and sees NMIT provide a full suite of aquaculture training to support the industry from secondary school pathways through to postgraduate level. More information: www.nmit.ac.nz

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Published by

ediTOR: Adam Hicksemail [email protected] www.aquaculture.org.nzddi: +64 (03) 546 2662Mob: +64 (0) 21 244 5166Editorial content compiled by Aquaculture New Zealand.

design: JK Frith [email protected]

AquAculTuRe neW ZeAlAndLevel 1, Wakatu House,Montgomery Square,Nelson 7010New Zealandemail: [email protected]: 03 548 8944Fax: 03 548 8984

geneRAl: The Aquaculture New Zealand magazine is published several times per year to promote the work and support the sustainable growth of industry.

Contributions relevant to the aquaculture industry are welcomed and industry participants are encouraged to contribute.

Articles and information printed in Aquaculture New Zealand do not necessarily reflect the opinions or formal position of the organisation Aquaculture New Zealand unless otherwise stated.

All material published in Aquaculture New Zealand is done so with care to ensure accuracy and factual content. However the publishers and editorial staff cannot accept responsibility for any inadvertent errors and/or omissions that may occur.

October 2014

AquAcultureNEW ZEALAND

Akaroa Salmon

New Zealand Aquaculture Conference,

October 23-24

Q&A with John Young

Pet projectBy-product revenue

NewsiNBrief

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 3

Studying sustainable aquacultureAn aquaculture study tour of the Marlborough Sounds last month gave representatives from the Natural Resource Sector agencies (Treasury, MBIE, DoC, MfE, MPI) and local government a first-hand look at how the industry is managed.

The MPI organised tour provided the influential audience with a look at the opportunities sustainable aquaculture growth offers New Zealand while examining the constraints for growth.

Showing our green credentialsThe environmental performance of the sector will be monitored and shared with the public under a new sustainability reporting tool.

EcoPortal have been contracted to produce the tool as the next stage of the AQNZ coordinated Environmental Management System.

NZ’s best food Sealord’s Manuka Hot Smoked salmon has been named the supreme winner at the 2014 New Zealand Food Awards.

It is the second time in 4 years (Mt Cook Alpine Salmon, 2011) that an aquaculture product has taken out the country’s highest food honour and proves that our farmed seafood is a product that New Zealand can be proud of.

Sir Jerry Mateparae with Sanford’s Ted Culley (left) and Zane Charman (right)

New independent government research shows the vast majority of New Zealanders feel positive about aquaculture and support the sustainable growth of the industry.

Colmar Brunton was commissioned by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to carry out research to gauge public understanding and perceptions of the effects of aquaculture and its benefits and the results show the sustainable production of premium seafood resonates well in communities.

“Aquaculture is a fresh, modern sector, generating hundreds of millions of dollars through the sustainable production of the world’s best seafood,” said Aquaculture New Zealand CEO Gary Hooper.

“Aquaculture is not a choice between environmental sustainability and economic growth – it is a means of achieving both”

“Marine farming occupies less than 0.1 per cent of our coastal waters yet provides over 3000 green jobs in regional areas and is the life blood of some communities.

“At the heart of the industry is our people. Our marine farmers are hard working contributors to their respective communities and this is reflected in the research.

“Their kids go to local schools, they source goods and services from local suppliers and they share the same water space and the same environmental concerns as fellow water users. They fish, dive and boat in the waters around the farms. It’s their backyard, their playground, and their legacy to their children and they make sure they protect it.

“It’s positive to see this contribution to communities and the commitment to sustainability resonating well with New Zealanders.”

“This research gives us a better understanding of what New Zealanders know and feel about the sector and will be an important tool to help marine farmers work more closely with their local communities to maximize that potential and deliver significant benefits for New Zealand.”

New Zealand supports aquaculture growth

The Gold Ridge Marine Farm sponsored Thames Valley Swamp Foxes are sitting mid table after a solid start to the Heartland Championship.

91% of New Zealanders agree that aquaculture provides a sustainable way to produce food

91% of New Zealanders agree that New Zealand should look for opportunities to sustainably grow the aquaculture industry

73% of New Zealanders have positive views of the industry – only 5% have negative views

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It’s what’s beneath the surface that counts.

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 4 5

P rotecting local waters is a core duty for the crew of Sanford maintenance vessel,

the Lady Marie.“The Marlborough Sounds are

an amazing place. I love fishing and diving here so it’s important to me to look after it and keep it an amazing place,” said skipper Ben Armstrong.

Alternate skipper David Horton, who dives for scallops when he gets a chance, agrees whole- heartedly and works in tandem with Ben to ensure the Lady Marie is at the frontline of preserving the environment.

“It’s our name and our industry that’s at stake so you make sure you protect that,” David said.

“We’re out on the water for

four days at a time, and if you see rubbish, you go and pick it up. It’s as simple as that. And that goes for any kind of rubbish. If it’s floating in the water or washed up on a beach, if we can pick it up, we will remove it.

“The industry has come a long way over the years and there is less and less rubbish, even though the number of farms has grown.

“Everyone out on the water is environmentally conscious and all the companies play their part.”

The Marine Farming Association coordinates an Environment Programme that sees marine farmers from across the Top of the South dedicate thousands of man and vessel hours each year to keeping

beaches and waterways clean.The Lady Marie crew is one of the

most active in the programme and their efforts were recognised with the MFA’s 2014 Environment award.

Vessel manager Dean Condon said the design of the 15-year-old, 22 metre long barge named after Lady Marie Skeggs, was well suited for accessing beaches.

“We’re very aware that we’re farming in the public domain so we need to keep it as pristine as we can. It’s an essential part of the job and all the guys know it’s part of their work,” he said.

“The MFA and the wider industry are dedicated to protecting our environment.

“We take this very seriously and encourage our crews to do as

much cleaning up as they can – basically whenever they have some down time, they’ll go ashore and walk along the beach with a rubbish bag.

“The beauty of the Lady Marie is that it’s well designed for coming into beaches and can reach areas that other vessels can’t.”

By population and landmass, Norway is similar in size to New Zealand – but their

aquaculture industry is a different kettle of fish.Norwegian Seafood Council

Managing Director Terje Martinussen told the Seafood New Zealand Conference

how by protecting and utilising their local waters, they more than doubled the value

of their exports in the past 10 years.

Population

5 millionTotal Seafood exports

NZ$11,000,000,000Aquacutlure

exports

Billion$8Exports to

130countries

2ndlargest seafood exporting nation

(after China)

NZ$108BiLLiONtarget by 2050 (growth to be achieved by improving value through research,

innovation and marketing)

“We think we have the perfect conditions for … aquaculture. We have people who’ve been working in seafood

for generations…we invest a lot in research and science…we believe we

can’t be a seafood nation without taking care of the seafood resources and

taking care of nature.”Terje Martinussen

ship: Lady MarieNorway by the numbers

Just cooked Congratulations to Abhinav Guruprasad, of Auckland Grammar and Aidan Clark from Manurewa High School for their champion efforts in the New Zealand Nutrition Foundation’s Just Cook, Nurtured Seafood challenge.

Abhinav won the challenge with his Super Salmon Fingers recipe, which will appear in a future issue of the Health Food Guide magazine, while Aidan was selected to cook his Chilli Mussels dish live on the TV1 Good Morning programme earlier this month.

Confidence growing in BOPConfidence around the Bay of Plenty’s aquaculture industry is soaring after a recent Bay of Connections delegation to Australia’s aquaculture capital of Port Lincoln in South Australia.

The Bay of Connections Regional Aquaculture Organisation (RAO) delegation of 18 included representatives from local government, investors and the science sector.

The green

Makoto Tokuyama from Auckland’s Cocoro who took out the award for best NZ Ora King Dish in 2013.

Ora King AwardsThe Ora King Awards are back for a second season with the winners to be announced at special ceremony later this month.

The Ora King Awards recognise outstanding contributions from chefs working with Ora King - New Zealand King Salmon’s premium foodservice brand produced exclusively for fine dining restaurants in New Zealand and overseas.

This year there are New Zealand and international citations for both Best Ora King Ambassador and Best Ora King Dish.

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o c t o b e r 2 0 1 4 7

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Proud to support the Aquaculture New Zealand Conference 2014

Across many industries, regulatory costs and lead times are significant factors in determining

competitiveness and commercial viability. The New Zealand aquaculture industry is no different. Whether the local regime puts New Zealand developers at a disadvantage relative to overseas counterparts depends on the regulatory regimes operating in the overseas jurisdictions.

The chart shows licensing times for aquaculture farms in Norway and a selection of European countries. Limited data is available, but the European Commission2 reports that several member states often take 2 to 3 years to authorise aquaculture farms, and some can take a lot longer.

Conversely, the average licensing time in Norway has been reduced from 12 to 6 months after introducing a “single contact point” for industry applicants to deal with when applying for licences.

Looking at other jurisdictions, major salmon farmer Marine Harvest3 reports that acquiring a fish farm licence in BC, Canada can take from one to several years and cost between CAD $300,000-$500,000. Only two new farm sites have been issued licences in BC since 2007. In Scotland, it can take 6 to 12 months for planning permission and 4 to 6

months for an environmental discharge licence3. In 2 of Chile’s 3 primary salmon producing regions, no new licences may be granted between April 2010 and April 20153.

In New Zealand a high profile example is NZ King Salmon (NZKS), which spent in excess of $10m over many years to gain 3 out of 9 sites applied for. Consequently NZKS withdrew from the China market as the company could not produce sufficient supply.

There is widespread recognition of the potential for growth in aquaculture and many governments have shown willingness for this. The Norwegian government has expressed desire for (sustainable) growth in the aquaculture industry, with a white paper to be presented to parliament in 20153.

Similarly, the Federal Government in Canada has signalled it is open to considering new fish farming licences3. In the European Union, the Common Fisheries Policy could lead to a boost in European aquaculture production over the next decade1.

It will be very interesting to see how global policies evolve over the coming decade, and the extent to which the supportive sentiment of governments translates into meaningful results for industry. n

1) OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2014-2023 http://www.oecd.org/site/oecd-faoagriculturaloutlook/2) Strategic Guidelines for the sustainable development of EU aquaculture”, European commission, 29 April 2013 http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/aquaculture/official_

documents/com_2013_229_en.pdf3) Salmon Farming Industry Handbook 2104, 23 June 2014, Marine Harvest ASA http://www.marineharvest.com/globalassets/investors/handbook/handbook-2014.pdfThe information in this communication is provided by Bank of New Zealand for use by the recipient only for general information and discussion purposes. To the extent that any such information constitutes financial advice, it does not take into account any person’s particular financial situation or goals.

Licensing Drag

Licensing times for aquaculture farms

Months

Norway

Slovenia

Spain

Italy

Greece

France

Cyprus

Croatia

Data source: European Commission report, April 20132

0 5 10 15 20 25

Feeding the futureNew Zealand Aquaculture Conference, October 23-24, Rutherford Hotel, Nelson.

It’s that time of year again - time for the industry to come together to identify our opportunities

and challenges and gather the knowledge, ideas and inspiration to realise the true potential of the sector.

This year we focus on Feeding the Future.

With food demands expected to double in the coming decades to nourish a fast-growing global population, aquaculture is widely recognised as a sustainable solution to feeding the world.

New Zealand is well-placed to capitalise on this food growing revolution with pristine waters, world-class environmental standards and a reputation for food safety and quality that has our farmed seafood prized in premium markets around the world.

The 2014 New Zealand Aquaculture Conference will explore how we can maximise this opportunity to feed the future by examining strengthening social licence, protecting and enhancing productivity and growing market value.

Aquaculture is the primary industry of the future and we have an impressive lineup of presenters to help unlock the possibilities:

Richard Wyeth is the CEO of Miraka, a majority Maori owned dairy processing company, and is focused on building commercial success in his local Mokai region.

WWF New Zealand, Executive Director Chris Howe will outline how the globally-respected conservation group sees an essential role for aquaculture in feeding a growing global population.

Internationally renowned social scientist Kate Brooks will be unpacking your road map to gaining and retaining a social licence to operate.

Author, actor, Mayor and all-round Kiwi bloke - Tim Shadbolt will share his enthusiasm for the industry which has developed over seven terms as Mayor of Invercargill.

The leader of New Zealand’s largest marine farming company, Volker Kuntzsch, Sanford CEO, will draw on his distinguished international seafood career, as he outlines his vision for our sustainable future.

The beer, wine and bubbles flow as we showcase why New Zealand farmed seafood is the world’s best. Seafood lovers will be in heaven with a stroll down Oyster Alley, featuring multiple varieties of freshly shucked oysters, and Salmon Street, featuring salmon from around the country. And with a plethora of dishes prepared by the Rutherford’s quality chefs – you will not leave hungry.

With registration just $225 ($295 non-levy payers) including beautiful seafood at all meal breaks and the lavish cocktail function, this is the best value conference in New Zealand.

RegiSTeR ATwww.aquaculture.org.nz/conference

Cocktail f unction

New ZealaNd aquaculture coNfereNce 2014

Feedingthe Future

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o c t o b e r 2 0 1 4 9

Blue mussels may be unwanted by marine farmers but Ted Culley’s miniature schnauzer Kasper can’t get enough of them.

The Prime Minister John Key says they’ll have his cat Moonbeam “purring like a kitten”.

And Christchurch-based pet food manufacturer K9 Natural is hoping they’ll be a hit in the $50 billion USA pet food market where they are now available in 1300 stores across the country.

In a collaborative effort organised by the Marlborough Research Centre, K9 Natural have teamed up with Sanford and New Zealand King Salmon in an initiative set to turn aquaculture by-products into a new revenue stream for the industry.

Under the initiative, marine farmers provide K9 Natural with wild blue mussels that naturally over-settle on Marlborough marine farms and salmon fins left over from processing, which are turned into several varieties of high-value, freeze-dried pet treats.

The salmon fins and tails, along with a Greenshell mussel treat are being rolled out across the chain of USA retail giant Petco’s stores this month, with the blue mussel treat for cats to follow in May 2015.

“It’s an all-round good story for the industry, for Marlborough and for New Zealand,” said Sanford aquaculture manager Ted Culley after showcasing this success story in an audience with the Prime Minister last month.

“Blue mussels have been a problem for the industry for a number of years. We concentrate on not growing them by engaging in a number of husbandry and farming practices to minimise the over settlement - but we still get some.

“In the past, the blue mussels have gone into composting while the salmon fins get rendered to fish meal and it’s a by-product stream that we’ve been looking to turn into a viable commercial proposition.

“This is an exciting result as it’s a market that doesn’t necessarily compete with the traditional Greenshell mussel market and it has plenty of growth opportunity.

“Plus it is a great product. I‘ve got a miniature schnauzer (Kasper) and he’ll do anything to get one of those mussel treats.”

K9 Natural CEO Calvin Smith said there is

huge opportunity for New Zealand seafood. “We have a very strong view that within the

global pet industry, cats and dogs are not receiving enough omega 3s which is causing health related issues,” he said.

“We see a bright future for seafood related products for pets and think we’ll see more emerging over the next 10 years and I think New Zealand is well placed to take advantage of it.

“This is our first export seafood product and we’re doing it at quite a large scale. We’ve been taking every salmon fin we can get for the past 4 months and we’d like to get more of these products but one of the challenges we’ve got is that demand for New Zealand salmon far exceeds supply.”

There is also potential that undaria could be incorporated in the future and K9 Natural has sourced eight tonnes of the weed harvested from mussel lines.

“One of our new diets that will go out next month will have our first run of undaria in it,” Calvin said.

“We’re interested in putting it in all food ranges. It’s got a lot of micronutrients that are naturally available making it a more powerful version of a vegetable from a nutrient profile. Plus obesity is a big issue for pets and undaria looks like it’s got potential to assist weight loss.” n

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Based in the heart of the seafood industry in the Top of the South, Nelson’s Cawthron Institute is

the focus of aquaculture innovation, helping the industry reach its goal of $1billion in annual revenue by 2025.

Cawthron’s research is helping increase shellfish production sustainably, by identifying and preventing disease, developing new species, testing for food safety and compliance, and making sure that growing waters are clean and healthy - and stay that way.

This web of support includes Cawthron Aquaculture Group’s Cultured Shellfish Programme (CuSP); the Coastal and Freshwater Group - which keeps an eye on the ocean and develops new tools for monitoring environmental quality; and the Analytical Services team which makes sure everything is primed for market and tested to meet market access requirements.

Aquaculture New Zealand technical director Colin Johnston says Cawthron have been instrumental in shellfish safety science improvements by providing accurate testing for algae, their toxins and food safety microbiology, and in leading the development of better testing methods.

“All of which help maintain the reputation of New Zealand farmed shellfish as a premium and supremely safe luxury product,” Colin says.

In addition, Cawthron’s purpose-built aquaculture park is giving industry a valuable opportunity to interact with researchers studying the science of shellfish.

“At the same time the researchers can gain valuable commercial insights direct from industry staff, making research on new species more industry-applicable.”

Cawthron aquaculture scientist and CuSP co-leader Helen Mussely says both the scientists and industry share the same goal: “to support the shellfish industry and help, through applied science, to meet this $1b goal by 2025.”

For the Cultured Shellfish Programme, that means working in aquatic husbandry, shellfish genetics, and domesticating new high-value species such as the geoduck and flat oyster, to complement New Zealand’s long-established Pacific oyster and Greenshell mussel farms. Another exciting new development is a

revolutionary scampi programme that aims to take the industry from $21m to $200m in annual exports by 2030, in part through aquaculture development.

Cawthron also plays an important role in protecting the industry from marine pests and disease and the Cultured Shellfish Programme is working with industry to breed resilient strains of oysters that can tolerate the OsHV-1 virus that decimated the industry in 2010.

It all helps the aquaculture industry grab an advantage over their international competitors, particularly when it comes to the iconic New Zealand Greenshell mussel. Cawthron was an early world leader in domesticating the mussel, and now they’re helping the industry maximise profit through selective breeding, using the same thinking as that of land-based exports, like fruit or lambs.

Such work includes developing mussels that have the right texture and colour, feed

more efficiently, get fatter on less food, and can better handle being harvested, processed, and shipped.

Dr Chris Cornelisen manages the Coastal and Freshwater Group, which provides farmers with knowledge and tools to help them find suitable space; assess and manage their farms’ environmental effects, and manage risks to the industry itself, such as biosecurity, harmful algae, and contaminants.

“It’s not just about assessing individual farms, but also about looking after the wider marine environment, which is something aquaculture impacts on but also depends on to support its industry,” he says.

“A lot of what we do is developing the tools to look at the characteristics of a system, the water currents, depths, and habitats surrounding a potential farm site.

“We also develop forecasting tools - models to help simulate effects on the seabed, potential changes in levels of

nutrients or predictions of harmful algal blooms or contamination events.”

Buoys in several locations around New Zealand monitor water quality, sediment, and the impact of fresh water, and thus river runoff. Chris says aquaculture likely spends more money on monitoring in the marine environment than any other industry, so one way Cawthron helps is to make that process more efficient.

Coin Johnston says the work is vital

for the industry. “With world-proven expertise in environmental monitoring and modelling, Cawthron supplies an essential service in monitoring and providing objective comment on the interaction of aquaculture with the environment.”

Chris says people perceive land farming and aquaculture differently, thinking of terrestrial farms as a common activity on private lands but aquaculture as operating in public waters, where effects are less obvious and understood. That’s despite being part of one large system and with aquaculture contributing to only a portion of the total cumulative effects resulting from many land-based and maritime activities. In many cases, shellfish farms likely clean up the water and restore balance where natural beds have been removed.

“Because aquaculture activities occur underwater and out of sight, it is hard to visualise to the public what the effects are,” Chris says. “A lot of our work is about doing that.”

The key to reaching the ambitious growth target is to ensure continued market access to high-value international markets by protecting the Greenshell™ mussel and other seafood brands. This requires meeting stringent food safety and compliance testing for overseas market access requirements.

Cawthron Analytical Services work closely with industry to ensure their wide range of testing requirements are met and that it maintains the levels of international accreditation required to ensure its results will be recognised in the international markets the industry exports to.

“It protects the brand, integrity and value of New Zealand seafood products in the international market place,” said Business Development Manager Augusta van Wijk.

Ultimately, Cawthron’s goal is to deliver the research industry needs to market a very good, safe to eat product and reach its billion dollar export target. n

WHO IS CAWTHRON INSTITUTE?Cawthron Institute is New Zealand’s largest independent science organisation. Established in 1919, it now employs almost 200 highly-skilled scientists, laboratory professionals and specialist staff. Their world class science is supported by substantial testing and research laboratories, state-of-the-art technology and purpose-built aquaculture park.

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from sourceto exportScience behind seafoodbehind

FROM SOURCETO EXPORTCawthron’s strength lies in its ability to oversee the entire life cycle of each morsel of seafood - from breeding, to spawning, to growth, to the moment it’s packed into a box and sent overseas. This includes water quality and monitoring, development of aquaculture farms, on-farm technology, breeding, health, and food safety testing and analysis to meet export requirements.

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John Young went from harvesting mussels by hand

on the very first mussel raft, to installing the industry’s first

longline, to running today’s largest independent mussel company in

the Marlborough Sounds. He believes that aquaculture

still offers plenty of

pportunity for future generationsQYou have been a marine

farmer for nearly 40 years – how did you start in the industry?I got my first taste of the industry when I was doing university holiday work with a fishing company called Associated Fishermen. They were the very first to farm mussels in New Zealand. An old fisherman called Charlie Guard saw something about the Spanish mussel farming and got the other fishermen to invest and build concrete rafts that they towed down to a bay not far from where I live.

One of the first jobs I had with them was going down with an underwater breathing apparatus called a Hooker and harvesting the mussels by hand. That was also my introduction to diving and I’ve been doing it ever since too.

QHow did you go from harvesting by hand under

the water, to having your own mussel farm?I was doing a forestry degree to start with and in the second year I had a holiday job at a sawmill on a skid site rolling logs into a machine that stripped the bark off. It was enough to put me off for life. So I got another job those holidays (with Associated Fishermen). My first job was packing rotting snapper heads into 25kg bags for cray baits. Before long they sent me out on a fishing boat. And once I’d done that, the smell of the pine trees didn’t hold the same attraction as the smell of the ocean.

I changed focus at university and went on to complete a degree in science then tried my hand at netting for sharks in my own leaking boat before becoming an advisor for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for 10 years before I left to become a mussel farmer.

QWhat was your role with MAF?

I worked alongside Jim Jenkins in a range of technical roles. Eventually I ran the spat fall programme looking for spat in the Marlborough Sounds after Jim went mussel farming then salmon farming himself.

In the beginning, we knew nothing about it other than some work that had been done for PhDs at Victoria University and Jim’s experience with oysters at Washington University. We just needed a reliable spat fall. We did a lot of work studying settlement patterns, wind direction, current directions, plankton etc. The work was marginally successful but the breakthrough was the discovery of the seaweed encrusted with mussel spat on 90 Mile Beach, a wonder of nature.

Jim and I also put in the first longline and set up the first blocks - and after people saw it, that was it, a transition from expensive and cumbersome rafts. The ordinary man on the street with little venture capital could get started with a longline and a few floats and build that up progressively into a farm.

QWhy did you make the change to mussel farmer?

Mainly because I am a Kiwi, we are risk takers and innovators.

QNo doubt a lot has changed over the last 40 years, but

what was the social climate like for the original industry pioneers?When we started, it was 1970s and New Zealand was a different world. People like to romanticise about the good life back then. Today most of us live in a safe environment in a warm house and food is about half the price, in real terms. Back then, a substantial part of the family’s income was spent on food and the country was a copy of the depressed Europe and was being run by government departments. There was no room for innovations. We lived off the sheep’s back. NZ was run along British lines and you kept your head down and toed the line – even down to the way you grew your hair. The opportunity to do something different

was nil unless you had land. But with the emergence of aquaculture, here was an opportunity to go and do it, with basically your bare hands and a few resources. And people were full of admiration for us for trying something new and making it work. Now, after 40 years, we’ve got a bright, sustainable future, but rather than being proud of us we’re striking a head wind and I think that some people don’t understand their history.

QRecent research shows that there is a strong level

of support for the industry in Marlborough and a small level of opposition – do you get this sense on the water?We know that there are only a handful of people who don’t support the industry and that’s their prerogative. It’s all very well for someone to retire from Auckland and sit in their bach writing letters flat out complaining about the industry – but what about the young kids coming through looking for a chance? It’s old men stealing opportunities from the youth. During resource consent applications, naysayers can make claims without any proof and we have to prove them wrong This is a very worrying risk for industry and I believe it’s going to get worse.

QSo how does this industry go about improving community

support and understanding?Social licence is incredibly important

but we have to go deeper than just talking about it. If people could see and experience the industry and feel the way we do about it, then that would go a long way.

When I take friends for a swim through the farms and they dive down and gather their own dinner - it is amazing to see how people totally engage once they see the beauty of a farm.

We know that mussel farming

environmentally is incredibly undamaging. I’ve been diving for decades, I swim under these farms and think this is amazing, you haven’t changed a thing. I look at all the indicators and it’s incredibly healthy.

We need to engage the young and educate people about the sustainability of it, we need everyone living in the area to have a stake in the industry or at least contact with it, and we need to do a better job of telling the story about how vital the industry is in the growing communities.

QHow vital is the industry to communities?

To understand the value aquaculture provides New Zealand, we can’t just look at the export value – you have to look at how many sets of hands the industry revenue passes through. I’ve got 25 staff who support their families and buy groceries from the local store, send their kids to the local schools. I’ve got five vessels

and there’s a team of engineers who service these and build these. There’re people cleaning the facilities after the mussels are unloaded and size and colour graded. There’re engineers building equipment, the slipway guy doing the anti-fouling, the forklift driver, the compliance people, the finance people, health and safety people, the seeding cotton knitters, rope reconditioning people, our float makers – we haven’t even got the mussels into the factory yet and it’s an immense story, it goes on and on and on. It touches the lives of a lot of people and they don’t even realise it. Aquaculture is the lifeblood of some communities and that needs to be embraced and celebrated.

QYou have a history of giving young kids an opportunity

– is this part of your business philosophy?I’m all for giving kids an opportunity. In this marine industry, I’d like to see that if anyone’s got the will, we’ll do our best to make them a bit of everything - make them hard working, loyal, thinking - and develop abilities they didn’t know they had.

I think there’s a lot of people who don’t realise how smart they are and we can help them realise that by giving them a chance.

Q40 years on, do you still think there’s opportunity for people

to make a start for themselves in mussel farming?I think we’re on the cusp of something really good and I think there are great opportunities for kids and for New Zealand on the horizon. I believe there is always more opportunity tomorrow than what there was yesterday. And the future is looking bright for the sector. n

O

JOHN YOuNg

It touches the lives of a lot of people…Aquaculture is the lifeblood of some communities and that needs to be embraced and celebrated”‘‘

Q&A WITH JOHN YOuNg OF ClEArWATEr MUSSElS

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Father and son team Tom and Duncan Bates have built the Akaroa Salmon farming company with their own bare hands

over the past 30 years. For them, business is not just about making a profit, it’s about being part of a community.

to earn public support and with the then Akaroa Council to qualify for an experimental licence,while Duncan took a job on the Stewart Island farm to learn the craft of raising salmon.

Then together, they built the first pens by hand on the beach and with the help of local fishermen, they towed it out into the Akaroa Harbour.

“We didn’t even have a dinghy when we started,” Tom said.

In nearly three decades on these waters they’ve survived severe storms, market crises, supply shortages and deliberate acts of sabotage.

“This is the reality of salmon farming – there’s no romanticism about it,” Duncan said.

“It’s a primary industry and you can take some pretty big hits. That’s farming.

“You’ve got to be willing to try new things and man you need to learn from your mistakes because there’s plenty of mistakes along the way when you’re learning to farm a new animal.

“But if you’re going to start something – then you’re going to finish it.”

For Duncan, this started when he was 24, single, and playing hooker for the Banks Peninsula rugby team.

“We started with one raft and one cage,” he said.

“We were gifted 10,000 smolt from NZ Salmon Company and I would drive to the top of the hill, park up, walk down the hill, row out to the farm, feed the fish by hand, walk back up the hill, and do it again the next day.”

Of the 10,000 smolt, half were males and about 4,000 of the remaining thrived through to harvest.

“Oh yeah, you get a buzz seeing the idea and hard work coming off,” he said.

“I can remember the first time we ate some, Dad and I both looked at each other and thought ‘Wow! This tastes pretty good, we might be onto something.’

Consumers in America agreed. The lot were processed in Akaroa and

sold for $US20/kg when the NZ dollar was at 50c. Any salmon farmer today will tell you that’s an exceptional return.

“We thought we were going to make a fortune,” Duncan said.

But this is a primary industry.“There were new farming companies

starting up and a lot of salmon being produced with no established markets and our market imploded and the price dropped down to $7/kg,” Tom said.

Suddenly they had 40 tonnes of salmon they had to find a new market for.

“Mum and Dad jumped in the car and literally started driving around

the country going into hotels and restaurants saying ‘we can supply you fresh salmon 12 months of the year - put it on the menu,” Duncan said.

“And I can remember walking in through the foyer of the Park Royal Hotel in Christchurch with a bin of fish and asking ‘where is the kitchen?’.

“I used to get up about 3am and shoot down to the factory and get 6 bins of ice, drive to Wainui, jump in the boat, harvest whatever we needed and bring them back to the factory in town. Mum and Dad would be there and Dad’s sister and whoever was available and we’d package up the fish and send it on its way.”

In the 28 years since, Akaroa has opened a specialised processing plant, invested in a hatchery and grown to produce over 200 tonnes per year.

However their sales model remains essentially the same with the vast majority of their product being sold direct to domestic food service providers.

“What we essentially did was kick start the domestic market for salmon,” Tom said.

“Back then it wasn’t on any menus and it wasn’t part of the regular Kiwi diet.

“I travelled all over the countryside and approached young chefs directly, in their kitchens, introduced them to the product and convinced them to put it on their menus.

“(Celebrity chef) Simon Gault had

a restaurant in the Viaduct Basin in those days and I went up to him during service and said ‘I’m sorry to come at a busy time, but I think you should try my salmon’. “He said:‘send me up a bin, and if it’s good I’ll keep it, and if not I’ll send it back the next day’.

“We’ve been mates ever since and he’s been a wonderful advocate for Akaroa Salmon.”

These days, Tom is retired after stepping back from the business in 2012 but he still finds it greatly satisfying to look at the farm and think back to what he helped start all those years ago.

“It was a real family do,” he said.“We worked shoulder to shoulder

growing the business. Duncan spent more time on the farm and I spent more time building the market.

“Knowledge was short at times, and money was even shorter.

“We did it tough for many years, but when your whole financial security is on the line, and you believe in what you’re doing and you keep at it, then sooner or later it’s going to work.

“I’m very proud to look back and see what we’ve built – and I’m also very grateful for all the help and support we’ve had along the way.”

And respecting and continually earning this community support remains a cornerstone of Akaroa’s culture.

“Hiring local people, using local suppliers, supporting local causes – that’s all important stuff,” Duncan said.

“I might be able to get someone to cart my feed for cheaper. But I’ve never tried. I’ve never made the call because I choose to use my local transport company because that’s important to me.”

Looking after their backyard is just as important.

“Akaroa Harbour is an important place for a lot of people not just us,” Duncan said.

“We need to be 100 per cent aware of that and give it the respect it’s due.

“All the guys working on the farm are locals and their families are attached to the harbour and a lot of other people live by and work on the harbour too.

“So it’s important that we fit into that environment without being seen to dominate.”

For Duncan, that means continuing to support the local community that has supported him for nearly three decades.

And being grateful.“At the start I just thought it was a

good idea,” he said.“I thought ‘we can do that in Akaroa’.“Nearly 30 years later I look back and

think, ‘Yeah, how lucky am I!” n

The Bates family business

We’re a 10 minute boat ride from Wainui.

“‘Bout the same again” from the headland that separates the harbour from the Southern Pacific Ocean, reckons Duncan Bates as he steps onto the Akaroa Salmon farm that he and his father Tom have built from scratch over three decades.

It’s come over dark. A southerly has blown up from nowhere sending whitecaps sloshing through a dozen or so pens of Chinook salmon.

The hills climbing hundreds of metres above the teal-blue waters give some shelter but still,it feels rugged, exposed.

“Yeah, how lucky am I!” says Duncan, his smile as honest and rugged as those hills.

“The evolution of Akaroa Salmon hasn’t been some glorious plan.

“It’s a story about survival.”It’s a story that began nearly three

decades ago afterTom went on a diving trip.

“I went diving down off Southland and met a fisherman who took me over to Stewart Island to see a pen of salmon they had - and that was it. I thought that will work in Akaroa. We had wild salmon in the harbour so I knew the water must be plenty suitable for salmon,” he said.

“Plus I could see that it was doable. We come from farming stock and had an understanding of how to care for animals and I knew it would require plenty of lateral thinking which both Duncan and I had.”

To get the project off the ground, Tom liaised with the local community

Akaroa Salmon

Tom Bates

Duncan Bates

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16

They’re perfectly plump and possibly our best yet.

The exceptional quality of Greenshell mussels coming out of New Zealand waters has some experienced farmers praising the current crops as the best the industry has ever produced.

“What we’re seeing is the mussel performing at its absolute best and enabling the industry to deliver an exceptionally high quality product to the market consistently,” said Marine Farming Association president Rob Pooley.

“It’s due to the super growing conditions and the achievements of the farming sector and shows the industry is in tune with the environment.

“The mussels we’ve seen over the past year have some of the older industry players talking about the best performing mussels they’ve ever seen - fast growing, clean shell and delivering excellent quality meat condition. A premium product by anybody’s standards.”

Even by the standards of New Zealand’s highest ranking public official, The Governor-General, Sir Jerry Mateparae, who ate several raw mussels fresh out of the water while on a tour with Sanford late last month.

“I cooked some up for the Governor-General and they were in extraordinary condition,” said Sanford Aquaculture Manager Ted Culley.

“The quality of the product has been better than what we’ve had in the past few years where the La Nina weather patterns weren’t conducive to favourable growing conditions.

“Our harvest managers are saying the current crops are as good as they’ve ever seen.

“The yields through the factory are excellent, consistently running at over 50% where 47% is considered a good year.”

Rob said the quality of the crops hadn’t been lost on consumers.

“The best ever conditioned mussels are delivering the highest value in some years,” he said.

“It’s a clear message that given the opportunity to grow, the industry can be a truly wonderful contributor to the New Zealand seafood basket and the economy.”

Kono CEO Don Everitt said the price reflected the true value of the product.

“We’re enjoying a great production year…but we’re also seeing the collective industry doing a better job telling the story about the premium nature of the products,” he said.

“We can be very pleased that value and quality has become more important than volume.”

Talleys European market manager Stu Dixon is also reporting exceptional mussel conditional.

“We’ve got very good growth and great, great quality mussels at the moment. In my mind we produce the king of mussels,” Stu said.

“New Zealand has been farming them for over 40 years’ now and we’ve become very good at it.

“Every company is striving for better quality and it’s definitely a premium product.

“In places like Russia and the Middle East and South-East Asia, there is more wealth and the growing middle class are discerning and they want to try different things. They don’t want to just stick to the one type of seafood.

“They’re willing to pay a premium for our mussels over their local mussels because they recognise the quality of the products.”

OPC’s Andrew Selby said it shows the industry is heading in the right direction.

“Quality will always beat quantity and all through the chain, from collecting spat to harvesting, we need to maintain that focus on delivering quality, premium products.” n

The best crop yet!

Ted Culley

Rob Pooley

Governor General Sir Jerry Mateparae

“What we’re seeing is

the mussel performing at

its absolute best and enabling the industry to deliver an exceptionally

high quality product.”

“Our harvest managers are

saying the current crops are as

good as they’ve ever seen.”

“We’re enjoying a great production year…but we’re also seeing the collective industry doing a better job telling the story about the premium nature of the products.”

o c t o b e r 2 0 1 4 17

Don Everitt

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Techni-Col talks:

18

The two comments we hear most often about the New Zealand Aquaculture Conference are “there’s not enough science” and “there’s too much science”.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t……Traditionally, the conference is about aligning industry

goals and providing knowledge, inspiration and tools to realise opportunities and overcome challenges. There’s no doubting that science and research are key to that but purely technical presentations may not be of interest to the wider delegate base.

That’s why we are hosting a Technical Day preceding the conference proper, so that relevant industry representatives will have a dedicated platform to dissect technical aspects with science providers and align priorities.

It’s essential that research focuses on delivering direct benefits to industry and the Technical Day, which is the third in the Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Series sponsored by the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry for Business Innovation and Employment, has a keen focus on this.

The Technical Day programme has been tailored to maximise the benefit for individuals and their specialisations and after a morning of broad-based plenary sessions that will appeal to the wider group, the day will split into species specific streams.

Ridley salmon streamThe Ridley Salmon Stream features an impressive cast of presenters with a number of international guests including Grieg Seafood BC managing director Stewart Hawthron and Aquativ nutrition and supplements fish health specialist Philippe Sourd (whose attendance is generously sponsored by Ridley Aqua Feed). It will also serve as the forum for the Salmon Farmers Association meeting.

Kiwinet business challengeIt’s like TV’s Dragon’s Den – only friendlier. This is a forum for researchers to pitch for key industry influencers potential solutions to five challenges currently facing the industry. The winners will get a cash prize and assistance in securing research funds to help put the idea into practice.

The challenges are:

#1 Non-invasive, high speed method measuring mussel weight

#2 Highly efficient method to remove mussel beards

#3 Identifying a commercially viable use for waste mussel shells

#4 Identifying a commercially viable use for old mussel ropes

#5 Autonomous notification system for failed navigation lights

Just how we like our science projects, it’s an innovating and engaging concept that will get experts focusing on solving issues that are directly applicable to industry.

Shellfish stream: spat workshopFor the past few years the industry has been hampered by various spat performance and retention issues.

The spat workshop will be looking at the spat chain and identifying areas where we can make a difference to improve performance. We’ll have researchers with direct experience in that area working alongside industry to work out what specific areas we can have an impact on and where to concentrate research efforts. The workshop will include some brief presentations covering the latest developments in the spat area, why it is so important for industry, and what tools are possible. n

The world’s most advanced and effective corrosion inhibitor, lubricant and penetrant is now available to the New Zealand

aquaculture industry.CorrosionX was originally

developed over 20 years ago for the US Navy and is today used extensively by military in the USA,

Australia, Israel and Germany – as well as in New Zealand across the aviation, shipping, power generation and motor home industries.

Corrosion Control NZ Commerical Director Tom Muller said because it is non-toxic while offering extreme corrosion protection, it is well suited to New Zealand’s farmed seafood sector.

“We can see that the aquaculture industry needs something that is both environmentally friendly and non-toxic, and can provide lasting protection for their equipment from the harsh sea conditions,” he said.

“That’s where we fit the bill and that’s why it’s currently being trialled across the aquaculture industry by Cawthron, Kono, New Zealand King Salmon, NIWA, OceanzBlue and Ngai Tahu.”

RuST pRoTecTionCorrosionX is an active corrosion prohibitor, utilising a revolutionary technology called Polar Bonding that does far more than merely slow down the corrosion process like traditional products. CorrosionX actually kills existing rust and corrosion (keeping it from spreading) and provides long-term protection against rust and corrosion on any metal surface.

Due to Polar Bonding, CorrosionX causes common metals and metal alloys such as iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminium, copper, brass, bronze, etc. to chemically behave more like noble metals such as gold and platinum. In other words, as long as CorrosionX is present on metal, it can’t rust or corrode!

Use CorrosionX wherever you want corrosion control without paint or wax coatings. It is not harmful to neoprene, rubber or plastics, eliminating many previous operator failures. A light spray of CorrosionX on pumps, trailers, hydraulic fittings, generators sets and engines a couple of times a year will keep them corrosion free – even in corrosive environments and coastal conditions.

non-ToxicUnlike traditional kerosene based treatments, CorrosionX is paraffin based with a VOC content of only 7%. It is environmentally friendly and therefore poses a minimal risk when used in marine farms or food processing. It is MPI approved Class C 11 making it suitable for use in most processing environments.

LubRicanTCorrosionX’s unique formulation offers a multitude of advantages over conventional spray lubricants.

Because it sticks to metal like a magnet, it cannot be easily displaced by pressure,

friction or moisture. It lubricates under extreme loads and high temperatures.

Not only does CorrosionX lubricate better, as a ‘self-healing’ surface, it lasts many times longer! This is especially true in outdoor, coastal and marine environments where direct exposure to rain and sea spray will quickly displace ordinary lubricants.

eLecTRicS CorrosionX is dielectric and safe to 36,000 volts and will provide protection for all electrical and electronic installations used in harvesting and processing facilities.

peneTRanTCorrosionX also penetrates faster and further than anything you’ve ever used. Spray on corroded or rusted nuts, bolts or fittings and they can usually be disassembled within a few minutes.

appLicaTionThe unique features of the product require a coating of only 1 micron thickness. CorrosionX can be applied over wet and even rusty machinery by wiping it on, spraying it from an aerosol can, with a standard kero gun or fogging it with a proper

spray applicator.

Come and say hi to Tom at the New Zealand Aquaculture Conference

Technical DayFor full details go to www.aquaculture.org.nz

ocTobeR 22, neLSon

Dr Colin Johnston

Stewart Hawthron

Philippe Sourd

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FUNDING�AVAILABLEFOR�SEAFOOD�INDUSTRY�RESEARCH�PROJECTS

FOR�INFORMATION�PLEASE�CONTACT�

Mike MandenoMobile +64 21 548 330 DDI +64 4 801 4695

John GibsonMobile +64 29 917 7863DDI +644 801 4698

[email protected] • www.seafoodinnovations.co.nz