Industry Events
Aquaculture New Zealand is growing
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Looking down onto the Marlborough Sounds while crossing the Cook Strait
by Peter Parker, International Aquafeed, Oceania office ew Zealand (NZ) is an island nation of less than five million people, with the Tasman Sea to the west and the South Pacific Ocean to the east. Kiwis pride themselves on punching above their weight and innovating, and our aquaculture industry is no exception. The NZ industry primarily produces King Salmon (Genus Oncorhynchus), Greenshell™ Mussels (Perna canaliculus), and Pacific Oysters (Magallana gigas), while only making up less than 0.5 percent of global seafood production, the industry has been successful in terms of branding, sustainable practice and working to maximise value from the produce. The annual Aquaculture New Zealand (AQNZ) Conference returned to Blenheim’s Marlborough Convention Centre, in the Marlborough region of NZ from the 18-19th September this year. The theme for this show was ‘Growing together’, this was reiterated by Bruce Hearn, Chairman of AQNZ, who made the point during his opening address that this is more than a slogan, our industry is case of ‘a rising tide floating all boats’.
The New Zealand Aquaculture industry coming together with drinks and snacks sponsored by EWOS Cargill on the opening night
The first day of the conference was split into a salmon and a resilience stream, allowing species specific information to be focused towards the right people, while the second day covered NZ’s aquaculture in a wider sense. There was a number of exciting updates at this year’s show, the launch of NZ Government’s long awaited Aquaculture Strategy, New Zealand King Salmon’s (NZKS) move towards offshore aquaculture, announcements regarding AQNZ’s A+ sustainability report, and plenty of success stories in terms of sustainable practice and value adding.
Marlborough, the heart of New Zealand’s aquaculture industry
The Marlborough region, located at the top of the South Island is a fitting location for the conference as it is home to more than half of NZ’s production of Pacific Salmon and Greenshell™ Mussels, and it is also a major producer of Pacific Oysters. This region truly is the heart of NZ’s aquaculture. Marlborough Mayor John Leggett, who is pro-aquaculture gave an opening welcome address. “World famous wine, garlic, pine-nuts, premium summer fruits, and right up there at the top table is our kaimoana (te reo Māori
Presenter Lalen Dogan at the Veramaris exhibition stand. Veramaris is a joint development from DSM and Evonik, producing omega-3 fatty acids for animal nutrition from microalgae. Their algal oil, a breakthrough innovation, helps conserve the natural biodiversity of the oceans
Sampling the fruit of the industry at the Sanford sponsored Cocktail function. Plenty of delicious King Salmon, Greenshell™ Mussels, and Pacific Oysters coupled with drinks and great company. It is widely agreed that every year this function is a highlight of the event
52 | November 2019 - International Aquafeed