Bream Bay Aquaculture ready for opening day
Science Centres: Fisheries
Construction of NIWA’s new aquaculture facility at Bream Bay, south of Whangarei, is now complete.
All resource consents and fish farming permits have been issued for Bream Bay Aquaculture, and we have appointed two experienced staff from overseas to manage its operations. The facility has four separate buildings which cover an area of 3000 m2, including a hatchery, nursery, office space, conference room, accommodation, wet and dry laboratories, and a workshop and storage area. The contractors and site staff have done a great job to complete the world-class aquaculture facility on time – and within budget!
The equipment and tanks will be set up in time for the official opening of the facility at the end of April. Our seawater filtration system arrived in late December from Israel and has been installed above the large intake pipes. The system is capable of filtering about 150 m3 of raw seawater per hour, down to a particle size of about 7–10 μm, and can be easily expanded to deliver a maximum of 3600 m3 of water per hour. The system is designed to ensure a clean and reliable supply of seawater, and has a backup in the event of any failure.
The hatchery and nursery complex has extensive live-feed production facilities, including those for many microalgae species. The hatchery has specialised finfish and shellfish research and production areas, and a heat and light controlled broodstock room for out-of-season spawning. There is also a wet laboratory and dedicated marine pathology unit with quarantine facilities for when animals are brought on site from the wild. Overseas experts helped to design the concrete floor of the hatchery, which has an extensive drainage network to keep it clean and dry.
Dr Brendan Gara from the Isle of Man and Australian Ian Cameron, who have over 35 years experience in the aquaculture industry between them, moved on to the site in December, along with three other permanent staff. Dr Gara, the new hatchery and site manager, has developed and run a commercial seawater hatchery for finfish such as turbot. He also spent 3 years in Scotland working on the commercial rearing of halibut, the largest flatfish, and the economically important cod. Mr Cameron, who helped to construct and operate the first abalone hatchery in Western Australia, is the new production supervisor.
Nearly one-third of New Zealand’s total seafood workforce is employed in the aquaculture industry, and there will be local employment opportunities at Bream Bay Aquaculture, both directly and indirectly, through ongrowing operations and related tourism and food and beverage ventures. There will also be a strong educational focus to the site, with many opportunities to train students and industry at all levels from research through to commercial production.