Proposal to farm salmon on Lake Waitaki New Zealand

A salmon farm is being proposed for Lake Waitaki, with those behind it saying it will be a "huge opportunity" for the Waitaki Valley. Waitaki King Salmon Partnership is a new venture by Jaco Swart, who is farm manager at Benmore Salmon, and Richard Logan, from High Country Salmon. Mr Swart said yesterday provisional permission had been given by Land Information New Zealand and Meridian Energy.

Feedback was being sought from other groups, including Fish and Game, the Department of Conservation and local iwi, and, once that was received, resource consent applications would be lodged. It was hoped to be operating by the end of the year but it was not yet known how difficult the consent process was going to be, Mr Swart said. New Zealand's aquaculture industry was in an "incredibly fortunate" position, compared with other countries, he said.

Farming took place in good water with low stocking levels, good fish husbandry and no disease, and without the use of vaccines, antibiotics or chemicals. That gave New Zealand salmon a "huge advantage" on the international market. There was a major drive by the Government to encourage aquaculture and its export potential. Read more...


This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers.