Southern salmon farmer set to double production
Salmon farming started in 1983 in New Zealand, and King salmon (which is the common name for this salmon in the United States, while Canadians call it the Chinook salmon) is the only salmon being farmed in the country today. Other species have been tried, but the New Zealand King Salmon company has been focusing on this particular species, and hope to increase production significantly from today's output of some 8,000 fish per day, as General Manager Stewart Hawthorn told The Marlborough Express;
New Zealand King Salmon opened its new office building in Picton last week. In a partnership arrangement, Port Marlborough developed the building to meet King Salmon's specific needs. "These facilities the port has built for us will help with our growth. We hope to double the size of our business in the next five years," said King Salmon aquaculture general manager, Stewart Hawthorn.
He said that for the past 13 years the company had directed its resources into developing its facilities on the water and had put up with cramped office and onshore facilities. It now had a purpose-built office, which had given it more space for the onshore, diving, engineering and net-mending operations. "As we grow the business and become more professional, we need the office space to continue with our projected growth."
Port Marlborough sees the venture as a way to support one of its major customers. Chief executive officer Ian McNabb said at the opening that the port company was pleased to be a partner with King Salmon. "The two interests are linked and clearly rely on each other in ongoing business." Mr Hawthorn said the company was experiencing a positive growth curve. "It's not easy, there are lots of challenges. When you are dealing with farming and husbandry - living organisms - you never know what is around the corner. Fish don't always do what they are meant to do." He said the company had a commitment to Marlborough, and with the port company as a key partner, they could develop their unique product. "It is a positive engagement, and will make both companies better off."
Marlborough mayor Alistair Sowman, who officially opened the building, said a key element in the success of Marlborough's aquaculture is its pure, clean sustainable environment. New Zealand King Salmon started to farm salmon in Marlborough in the 1980s with small cages and harvests of a few hundred fish. It now harvests about 8000 fish a day, five days a week, 52 weeks of the year, and employs more than 100 staff. The six sea farms in the Marlborough Sounds currently produce about 60 per cent of the worldwide supply of farmed king salmon. The new building is designed to be relocatable, so that future growth needs can be adjusted as required.
