Salmon company sticks to the facts

Media release facts – 1
March 21, 2012

Salmon company sticks to the facts

Emotive language and distortion of the facts help no one in the debate about whether or not New Zealand King Salmon’s bid for more space in the Marlborough Sounds should be granted.

That’s the opinion of the company’s CEO in response to a press release issued today by Sounds bach owner Martin Pinder.

Mr Pinder had “gone public” and was asking the company to purchase his $730,000 holiday home for $1.2 million in compensation for NZ King Salmon’s application to build a salmon farm one kilometre from his property.

NZ King Salmon CEO Grant Rosewarne says Mr Pinder’s press release distorts reality.

“Our application is currently before the Environmental Protection Authority’s Board of Inquiry and that is where it will be dealt with in an open forum. But it seems our opponents can’t wait and wish to hold the hearing in the media.”

Mr Rosewarne says the team at NZ King Salmon has empathy for the position of the Pinders whose north-east views from their property are affected by about 15 per cent.

“We have talked to the Pinders and offered to landscape their section including native tree planting to screen the 30 degrees to the north-east towards the proposed salmon farm. We also offered to build a deck and outdoor entertainment area so they could enjoy a continuous 150 degree water view.

“We were of the understanding the negotiations were both confidential and ongoing but Mr Pinder decided to go public. Unfortunately his material is emotive and completely distorts our position. We think it does his cause no good whatsoever.

“Plus, our fish have plenty of space. Salmon are schooling creatures and will stress unless they are together. A fully stocked farm is 97.5 per cent water space and only 2.5 per cent fish.”

Mr Rosewarne says his company has been salmon farming in the Sounds for a quarter of a century and has never had an environmental effect remote from its farms. It has no plans to expand beyond the number of farms applied for.

“This is not a precedent-setting application. Anyone wanting to set up a farm – salmon, mussels, oysters - would have to play by exactly the same rules as us.”

He says the Sounds have a surface area of 150,000 hectares salmon farms cover only five hectares of that. “If we are granted all the space we apply for, our farms will cover only 0.01 per cent of the surface area of the Sounds.

“We live in an agrarian economy. If our plans are approved, we will be able to generate 120 news jobs bringing in an extra $7 million in wages alone to Marlborough not to mention the other downstream benefits for business.”

Mr Rosewarne says he still hopes to achieve a win:win solution working with the Pinders.

ENDS

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