Proposed joint venture set to boost aquaculture

Proposed joint venture set to boost local aquaculture industry

17 September 2010

A delegation from Tauranga’s Chinese sister Yantai is in New Zealand this week visiting aquaculture facilities including Bay of Plenty Polytechnic’s new facility at the Windermere Campus, and the Cawthron Institute in Nelson.

The delegation, from Chinese aquaculture company Oriental Ocean, met with the Whakatohea partnership science and technical group, including representatives from Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and the Cawthron Institute, to discuss details of a major marine farming venture in Opotiki.

Dr. Tim Lowe, Head of School for Applied Sciences at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, says of particular interest to the delegation are the details of hatchery and pond requirements for breeding the New Zealand sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis.

“Sea cucumber is a valuable delicacy in China and our New Zealand species is very similar,” says Dr. Lowe. “One of the first goals for the proposed joint venture is to research and pilot the production of sea cucumbers in ponds based in Opotiki. These initial trials will be supported by aquaculture researchers at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, using our newly built aquaculture facility to supply juvenile sea cucumbers.”

Oriental Ocean is one of the largest aquaculture corporations in China and brings a wealth of expertise in sea cucumber culture along with extensive knowledge of culturing other species and aquaculture in general. The company is working with the Polytechnic and the Cawthron Institute to provide key expertise and advice on setting up for the first trial of sea cucumbers. If successful the joint venture will create a new and potentially very valuable industry for the Eastern Bay of Plenty economy.

Over the past decade researchers in New Zealand, including Dr. Andrew Morgan (marine / environmental group tutor at the Polytechnic) and Dr. Andrew Jeffs (University of Auckland) have developed breeding and quantified nutritional aspects of on-growing of this animal respectively. The proposed aquaculture venture will extend and commercialise this work in partnership with New Zealand stakeholders and Oriental Ocean.

ENDS

© Scoop Media