Seafood growing steadily

14 December 2011

Seafood growing steadily

New aquaculture legislation and an increased hoki catch allowance
have helped position New Zealand’s seafood industry for continuing
growth.

MAF has released a half-year update to the annual /Situation and
Outlook for New Zealand Agriculture and Forestry/ (SONZAF) report,
which went out in June.

Following the merger with the Ministry of Fisheries in July, MAF is
now including seafood in its forecasting.

The update shows that wild capture fisheries production was up 2.4
percent to 442,000 tonnes in the year to 30 September 2011.

This was driven by recent enlargement of the Total Allowable
Commercial Catch (TACC) for hoki, and further production increases
are expected in the medium term, says Stuart Day, MAF Acting Manager
Economic and Industry Development.

Export earnings from wild-capture fisheries were up by $22.9 million
(up 1.9 percent), to $1.22 billion.

Meanwhile, earnings from exports of farmed fish and shellfish were up
24.2 percent ($60.1 million) to $308.7 million, driven off a volume
increase of 11.9 percent (up 4,900 tonnes).

MAF reports new aquaculture legislation passed in August sets the
legal framework needed to support growth in the aquaculture sector.

One company, King Salmon, has since submitted a proposal for eight
new salmon farm sites in the Marlborough Sounds under the new
provisions.

MAF forecasts that aquaculture production will increase at a moderate
rate in the short to medium term.

Mussel exports were the single largest earner this past year, at $221
million, followed by rock lobster at $213 million, hoki at $188
million and squid at $104 million.

/For more information, go to the full half-year report in the
Publications section of the MAF website./

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