NIWA cracks kingfish hatchery production
Science Centres: Fisheries
Commercially focused research and development, funded by industry and the Foundation for Research, Science & Technology (FRST), with state-of-the-art aquaculture facilities at NIWA’s Bream Bay Aquaculture Park, have combined to achieve the first pilot-scale commercial production of yellowtail kingfish in New Zealand.
During the 2002–03 kingfish spawning season, NIWA has produced more than 30 000 kingfish fingerlings. This greatly exceeded our production target, and the success has pushed forward the commercialisation of this exciting new species for New Zealand aquaculture.
The quality and survival of the fingerlings has also surpassed expectation, particularly because it has included a reliable reduction, to less than 10%, in the level of jaw abnormalities. Success was achieved through a combination of small- and large-scale experimental trials, based on a good understanding of kingfish physiology. This is the first time the team at Bream Bay has attempted pilot-scale production of kingfish, and we are now confident that we can produce commercial quantities of kingfish juveniles for farming.
Central to achieving this success has been moving the kingfish research efforts to Bream Bay Aquaculture Park, where scientists work in partnership with industry to provide the support and expertise required to commercialise new aquaculture species. Consequently, the R&D conducted on site is scientifically rigorous, yet commercially relevant, and is highly focused towards rapidly developing commercial culture technology.
Future kingfish R&D is planned to capitalise on the efficiency gains made this year in larval-rearing and nursery technologies. Further developments will include the use of probiotics, optimisation of feeding strategies, and manipulation of environmental variables to achieve optimum growth and survival. At the same time, NIWA will be conducting research on broodstock management, monogenean parasite control, and live transport of fingerlings.