One of the Top of the South’s biggest exporters and employers, New Zealand King Salmon, has joined calls for climate action, saying its industry is disproportionately impacted by climate change.

The call follows yesterday’s declarations by Nelson City Council and Environment Canterbury of a ‘state of climate emergency’.

New Zealand King Salmon Chief Executive Grant Rosewarne says five of the last seven summers have been the hottest on record in terms of water temperatures on their farms, which impacts fish survival.

“We have operational activities in play to help manage sustained warm water temperatures during summer. But there is a bigger opportunity the region and country need to capitalise on.

“It’s eminently possible to reengineer our economy to deliver on New Zealand’s zero carbon and sustainability aspirations, and the aquaculture industry wants to play a leading role in this change.”

Rosewarne says while it’s promising to see central and local government are taking climate change seriously, the speed of change and the scale of the mitigations demands urgent and real action.

“The aquaculture industry has the potential to grow into New Zealand’s most valuable industry - and greenest primary sector. But as the climate changes we need to fast-track solutions and need supportive legislation to expedite change if we are to really commit as a region and country.”

NZKS is committed to leading this charge through multiple initiatives, including exploring open ocean farming, benchmarking carbon emissions, and continuing to make sustainable improvements to operations and supply chain.

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