| New Zealand’s largest
aquaculture facility – Bream Bay Aquaculture – opens tomorrow, 24
April, in Ruakaka, just south of Whangarei. |
 |
The $2.5 million R&D facility aims to
bridge the gap between small-scale research and commercial-scale
production of high quality products to help New Zealand meet the growing
demand for seafood. Research into a variety of fish and shellfish
species, including kingfish, eels, and Pacific oysters, will provide
important information to existing and new aquaculture operators, and
help them to create new sustainable ventures. Partnerships with the
aquaculture industry will be a key feature of the facility.
NIWA chose Bream Bay as the site of the
new facility because it was close to its researchers and clients in
Auckland and had existing infrastructure, particularly the large
pipelines that were previously built to draw cooling water from the sea
for the Marsden Power Station. These same pipelines will now supply high
quality seawater to the facility.
Aquaculture is New Zealand’s fastest
growing seafood industry sector and has the potential to earn $1 billion
in export revenue by 2020 according to the latest New Zealand Seafood
Industry Economic review. World demand for seafood is increasing but the
wild fishery cannot meet this demand. Aquaculture, however, can.
The Minister of Fisheries, Pete Hodgson,
who will officially open the facility, said New Zealand’s future
prospects as a top quality source of seafood for global markets will
depend to a large extent on our ability to bring new species into
aquaculture production.
“The growth of aquaculture will benefit
the entire New Zealand economy,” he said.
“Bream Bay’s focus on warm-temperate
aquaculture and its ability to test new techniques at near
commercial-scale production will help ensure New Zealand remains at the
forefront of aquaculture development.”
In addition to the Hon. Pete Hodgson,
seafood industry representatives and local and regional councils will be
among the invited guests. The guests will be welcomed on to the site by
Patuharakeke Te Iwi Trust before the official opening, a seafood-themed
lunch, and tours of the new facility. In line with the partnership
approach, Te Ohu Kai Moana and Moana Pacific are sponsoring the day.
The new Bream Bay facility is described
in
Fisheries and Aquaculture Update
and is operated by our
National Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture.
For further information contact:
Dr Simon Hooker [ s.hooker@niwa.co.nz ]
Phone +64 27-499 7801 |
