Every now and then we hand over our Update editorial to a special guest. This time we welcome the CEO of Aquaculture New Zealand, Gary Hooper. Gary is a familiar figure in the seafood world and he has been a tireless advocate for some of the big changes that have happened in the sector in 2024. These are his Christmas reflections.
We’ve all heard the term ‘sea-change’ but what does it mean? According to the Meriam Webster dictionary, a sea change isn't simply any change – it usually describes a marked change or transformation in how things are done.
One sea change increasingly in play is that salmon (and other wild-caught and farmed kaimoana) is displacing turkey on the Kiwi Christmas Day menu. Aided by logical demographic adjustments like, smaller families, smaller houses, smaller fridges and even smaller ovens, all have collectively dented the gravitation towards the traditional North American fowl. As likely though, changing culinary preferences, casualisation of celebration and dining with a hint of generational rebellion have also plucked away at turkey’s centrepiece billing (not to mention ease of prep and/or avoiding arguments over select turkey body parts or indeed going cold turkey on Boxing Day).
For turkey farmers and producers this trend in no paltry matter, but to be fair, they’ve had a good gobble since King Henry VIII swapped out the Xmas goose for the turkey back in the sixteenth century.
Seafood is also no one-date-wonder but a perfect Christmas and holiday culinary pleasure, regardless of whether the yule-tide is in or out. Kaimoana is the essence of celebration and healthy indulgence. In New Zealand, we are fishers and producers of some of the world’s best seafood. How lucky are we? Made from nature, made to nurture, made from caring, made for sharing. Farmed, commercially caught and/or rec catch, we’re spoilt for choice and it’s all choice! As an aquaculture guy, here’s a plug for some great recipe options: www.aquaculture.org.nz/recipes
Our native Greenshell mussels are the only indigenous protein farmed in New Zealand. An easily accessible family favourite and as versatile as they are tasty and good for you. Our Pacific oysters are peaking towards perfection and will add that little bit of ‘posh’ to your proceedings.
Christmas came early for marine farmers across the country when, back in September, the Government passed the Resource Management (Extended Duration of Coastal Permits for Marine Farm) Amendment Act. Championed by the Hon Minister Shane Jones, who intimately understands the value and potential of the seafood sector, this legislation does everything it says on the tin in that it extended all marine farm consents by 20 years and up to 2050.
We’ve been craving that level of certainty for decades as many aquaculture consent renewals were being contested by latter day reverse sensitivity and ponderous regional plan processes, creating a weighty distraction of attention and resources from more productive pursuits. The millions of dollars saved will be invested in infrastructure, innovations, new developments and adaptations to changing environmental conditions. We look forward to other liberating/enabling policy and legislative developments in the New Year.
Aquaculture is another sea change in play that has the potential to fast-track New Zealand’s economic salvation and particularly so in the regions. We already produce the world’s best farmed salmon, the ‘King’ of the species also known as ‘Chinook’ or ‘Quinnat’. Analogous with wagyū or Champagne as the category champion, revered by chefs globally, savoured by consumers in Michelin-starred restaurants, it’s the same New Zealand-farmed salmon Kiwis can buy at the supermarket.
There are only a handful of countries that have suitable climatic and latitudinal attributes for farming salmon. Our current salmon farming efforts amount to just a half of one percent of global supply. That means a handful of other countries produce 99.5%. Serendipitously and almost uniquely, we are the largest producer of the premium King salmon species and an increase in production of 4-5 times what we currently farm would create close to $2 billion of additional sector revenue, create a stack of new jobs and stimulate a much larger economic benefit to the regions and the country. It would also actualise much of the Government’s aquaculture strategy of achieving $3 billion revenue by 2035. It’s exciting times ahead as there are three new salmon farming projects along with a related hatchery initiative listed in schedule 2 of the Fast Track Approvals legislation. These projects, along with New Zealand King Salmon’s Blue Endeavour project in Cook Strait, could get us to 2% of the world farmed-salmon supply and, as importantly, the top 2%! The amount of water space required is literally a speck in the ocean.
Given that King Henry VIII anointed turkey’s 500-year reign, let’s hope that Kiwis and the rest of the world will still be enjoying premium seafood steeped in New Zealand’s provenance for the next half millennium.
