Professional Skipper Magazine from VIP Publications

LETTER further understanding of these fish diseases will support the yellowtail kingfish as an international trade resource for the nation. In April 2012, the company Sociedad Inversiones Acuícola y Acuícola del Norte (Acuinor) completed the first stage of yellowtail kingfish larvae and fry production in the north of Chile. Daniel Elton, the general manager of Acuinor, believes that the resource is the one that offers future possibilities in northern Chile. The yellowtail kingfish is currently exported as a chilled cooled product to Italy, the United States, Denmark and Germany. A market is also emerging for the export of live juvenile specimens to the United States and Europe. BAP FOR AUSTRALIAN SALMON PRODUCER Best Aquaculture Practice is something for which every grower strives and the Australian salmon producer Tassal has become Australia's first salmon farmer to comply with the Global Aquaculture Alliance's prescribed protocol in relation to food safety, social, animal and environmental welfare and product traceability. Peter Redmond, the Vice President of Global Development for the GAA welcomed Tassal to the growing number of retailers and suppliers sourcing and supplying BAP product for their consumers in the Australian market place. Tassal, with seven farming sites, three processing works and two hatchery facilities, is the largest producer of fresh and frozen salmon products in Australia. "The GAA auditors wanted to know that the hatchery was compliant with all the regulations pertaining to water use and effluent treatment, and that our fish welfare, vaccination records and handling protocols all complied with GAA standards," said Linda Sams the company's chief sustainability officer. "While our retailers like BAP certification for marketing purposes, one thing we've long understood is that this kind of standardization and discipline in all aspects of fish farming has huge operational benefits, and I like to see it applied across the board because the improvement to our production efficiency and fish health are more than just the economic benefits." The BAP program is a comprehensive, rigorous, metrics-based certification program for aquaculture, including farms, hatcheries, and processing plants. BAP standards cover the environment, social responsibility, animal welfare, food safety and traceability. KING SALMON FEEDS OUT The Marlborough District Council initially sought advice as to whether it needed to serve New Zealand King Salmon with an abatement notice after 2012 monitoring showed some farms did not meet standards. According to company chief executive Grant Rosewarne recent monitoring results for King Salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds are open to interpretation and that it was valid to change resource consent conditions as knowledge increased. When King Salmon established its Clay Point and Te Pangu farms in Tory Channel, little was known about growing salmon in these highflow conditions, Rosewarne said. The seabed was more affected than conditions allowed at a monitoring point between the Te Pangu farm in Tory Channel. However, Rosewarne says it could be argued that this was irrelevant because thresholds were met beneath the farm and at the outer limits of monitoring. Cawthron Institute reported that King Salmon fed out 300 tonnes more feed than allowed at its Clay Point Farm, on the opposite side of Tory Channel. Rosewarne responded that the over-feeding was due to a spreadsheet error not discovered until the end of the year and that this was balanced out by fish at Te Pangu being given 300 tonnes less feed than allowed and pellets containing less nitrogen than in the past. It is the intention of King Salmon to apply to the council to increase feed at Clay Point from 4,000 a year to 4,500 tonnes, Rosewarne said. Monitoring conducted by the Cawthron Institute also discovered high copper residues under some farms. Rosewarne said the residue problem had prompted King Salmon to stop treating nets with anti-fouling chemicals. The company was instead using net cleaning equipment it had developed, requiring two to four extra staff. Cawthron has also called for further research into harmful algal blooms and fish farms, and put the request on the agenda of algal bloom experts working under the Unesco-supported Geohab programme who met in Paris in April. This autumn toxic algal bloom was reason for the closure of mussel farms in Queen Charlotte Sound and Tory Channel. Mussel farmers claimed a lack of nutrients in the Marlborough Sounds this season meant their crop failed to reach full size, Rosewarne said. Nutrients from salmon farms might help. TEKAPO CANAL SHUTDOWN Dear Sir For the New Zealand Aquaculture magazine we thought it would be good to pass along an event that occurred this summer involving the Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon Farm in Canterbury–Twizel. We provided an supplemental diffused aeration system based upon a requirement the farm had during the main summer period as a result of a closure of flows undertaken by Genesis Energy to perform repairs to the Tekapo Canal. The canal's flow rate is essential for the salmon farm operation, in particular in summer, to remove nutrients and sedimentation, cool the water and provide ample dissolved oxygen levels to the salmon. The shut down period was done over a two month period during the one of the hottest and driest summers you could ask for. The farm mandatory required aeration and turn-over assistance to help the fish survive and keep water quality in check. We assisted the salmon farm with the design, acquisition and installation of Clean-Flo Diffused Aeration equipment to perform to the needs of the salmon. The period of shut down is now over and the outcome of the time frame was a success. Another expected shut down will occur over next summer much the same. This event is worth noting and sharing with others to learn from and be aware of should such similar situations occur in the future. Darin A. Brenner, Aqua-Environs Construction Ltd, Auckland MARLBOROUGH COUNCIL APPROVES OYSTER FARM Beleve Ltd must now apply through the Aquaculture Act for the next stage of approval after its application to build a three-hectare farm at Oyster Bay in Croisilles Harbour was approved by the Marlborough District Council. Six local property owners have objected to the farm, believing it could reduce the productivity of existing marine farms and natural cockle beds. According to the council there is no ecological evidence to support the claims and that there are not enough farms in the region to inhibit production. Concerns over the farm being a navigational hazard were also rejected as the harbourmaster said the company's application met new maritime safety criteria. JULY/AUGUST 2013 ■ NZ AQUACULTURE ■ 5

• A4 TO ADVERTISE
• 1-10 s94
• 11-20 s94
• 21-30 s94 new
• 31-40 s94
• 41-60 s94
• s94 covers
• AC54 web