Three new salmon sites set for NZ
By some estimates the cost of setting up and running a new salmon farm until the first crop of fish is ready for harvest will represent an investment of approximately CAD$ 10 million (~€7.1 million). That means that the six applications currently in the pipeline for new salmon farms in British Columbia are delaying a sizeable investment in equipment, employment and services for coastal communities. In the meantime, as Chloe Winter of Stuff.Co.nz explains, the largest salmon producer in New Zealand is busy awarding contracts to suppliers that will provide equipment for three of its recently approved new sites:
An overseas company has been given a multimillion-dollar contract to build the pens, and supply feed, for three new salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand King Salmon chief executive officer Grant Rosewarne said yesterday that they awarded the contract to Chilean aquaculture company, Akva in December. This goes against earlier comments from Rosewarne, who assured local businesses the work would stay in the region. Rosewarne said they decided to import pens from overseas because they wanted a lighter and more technologically advanced system that had never been produced in New Zealand. "Unfortunately there is not enough buoyancy in the existing pens . . . they aren't easily interchangeable. [Previously] we developed a system that is a very strong build and very rigid and heavy. We wanted a new buoyant, light one that is flexible. We'd definitely say we've changed the model of our farm."
Two new pens would be ordered and shipped to Marlborough from Puerto Montt in southern Chile in February ready to be assembled, he said. A contract to assemble the pens was awarded to a local company, he said. Rosewarne said they had consulted with suppliers in the region before deciding to go with a company off-shore. "Traditionally we use Picton Manufacturing and Cuddon and I would say they would be involved in some fashion." Cuddon Ltd chief executive officer Andy Rowe said he was disappointed they did not get the contract for the pens after submitting a tender, which outlined their ability to build a similar product to the Chilean design. "We understand they are trialling a different system of pens but we offered them a price to build a similar one but we were unsuccessful."
Rowe thought they would be in with a good chance of securing the contract considering they maintained other New Zealand King Salmon farms, he said. "Anything can be engineered and built, but they thought there was too much risk in an unproven design. We had never made it before." Rosewarne said they had decided to go with a proven manufacturer of the new pens. "[The new pens] have a number of inherent design advantages - less material, more buoyant, easier to clean, adaptable and flexible to accommodate all inshore low and high flow sites, unlike our exist farms . . . [so] we have decided to go with a proven design of the new technology rather than run the risk associated with a first-time manufacturer especially given we have a short timeline."In the medium to long term we think local pen producers will prove their new technology designs."
New Zealand King Salmon was committed to working with top of the south companies on future pen development, he said. "There is still a huge opportunity for aquaculture in Marlborough . . . as the site becomes operational and production increases so will the contribution it makes to the local economy."
The first new farm will be built at Waitata Reach and would be "on the water by about March", he said. "The first of the fish will go in May.The plan is to do one each year and the reason is we want to get our markets there before we start." The tender to build the Waitata barge was won by Nelson engineering company Aimex. "Local companies will be heavily involved in a number of aspects of the new farm development and the ongoing operation of the farm including, barging, transport, engineering and electrical work." The estimated cost of setting up the three farms was $18 million (~€11.8 million), he said. "That will take us from a $100m (~€65.4 million) to a $200m (~€130.7 million) turnover."
The number of employees was expected to increase from 450 to 600. They were currently advertising for 10 people to help work on the Waitata Reach farm, he said.
