New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) is celebrating a significant recent milestone in the company’s Blue Endeavour project, officially commencing operations at the world’s first open ocean King salmon farm.
Blue Endeavour, located seven kilometres off Cape Lambert outside the Marlborough Sounds, now has all key infrastructure in place and the first cohort of fish have been successfully relocated to their new home in the open ocean.
The Blue Endeavour pilot pens are now in place in the open ocean, with the first fish delivered during May and June. Credit: Jim Tannock.
NZKS Chief Executive Carl Carrington said the opening of the pilot farm represents the next step in a journey that has been more than a decade in the making.
“Open ocean farming is the next frontier for the King salmon sector. While inshore salmon farming faces growth constraints, open ocean environments offer significant opportunities for future development, despite their additional complexities,” says Carl.
“Reaching this milestone reflects years of planning, research, consultation and regulatory work, along with a strong commitment to working collaboratively with government, iwi, partners, and our wider community.
“It is important to recognise the many team members at NZKS who have been involved over the past decade or more, and the collective effort involved to get to this point. I also want to acknowledge the relationships that have underpinned the success of the Blue Endeavour project to date, and the fact that we could not have achieved this milestone alone.”
Collaboration is the key to success
Local collaboration and strong international partnerships are playing a critical role in delivering the pilot project. NZKS is working with ScaleAQ, a world leader in aquaculture infrastructure, which has supplied the specialist pen technology used at Blue Endeavour.
“We are proud to contribute to the Blue Endeavour project together with New Zealand King Salmon,” adds Martin Søreide, CTO Seabased, ScaleAQ.
“Developing and adapting technology for open ocean environments is an important step for the future of aquaculture, and we have greatly appreciated the close collaboration with the team in Picton during the build and launch of the pilot pens.
“This project demonstrates how global experience can be combined with local expertise to create robust solutions tailored to New Zealand’s unique conditions.”
Sølvtrans is another key international partnership enabling Blue Endeavour, through the long-term lease of the Ronja King wellboat – the first vessel of its type to operate in New Zealand waters (Ronja King Wellboat Arrives in Picton | NZ King Salmon). As well as supporting our inshore farms, Ronja King delivered the first fish from Clay Point to Blue Endeavour during May and June.
Together, these partnerships bring proven offshore farming capability and fish-welfare technology to the New Zealand context.
Our local contractors and partners have also played an important role in building and installing the mooring grid and pens, including Johnsons Barge Service Ltd, O’Donnell Park Barging Limited, Nautilus Pacific, and Port Marlborough.
A birds-eye view of one of the pilot pens in place at Blue Endeavour. Credit Jim Tannock.
A Pilot Approach to a New Endeavour
Blue Endeavour is initially being developed at a ‘pilot’ scale, which means only two of the 10 pens from the southernmost ‘farm one’ will be developed first. Carrington said the pilot phase is focused on learning and evidence-building and will be used to test technology and operational parameters at a commercially relevant scale before any future investment decisions are made.
“This pilot is about proving what’s possible – safely, responsibly and then eventually at commercial scale,” says Carl.
“The insights gained here won’t just inform decisions for our business, they will help shape the future of open ocean aquaculture in New Zealand and support the country’s export-led recovery.”
The Blue Endeavour pilot project is being developed as part of the ‘Future Farming: A Blueprint to Accelerate Salmon Farming in Aotearoa’ programme, a partnership between New Zealand King Salmon and the New Zealand Government under the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund (replaced by the Primary Sector Growth Fund).
By co-funding the pilot, NZKS and the New Zealand Government aim to help establish a blueprint for open-ocean aquaculture in New Zealand.
Next steps
The fish currently at sea are due to be harvested later this year.
Blue Endeavour has the potential to materially increase New Zealand King Salmon’s farming capacity by an additional ~10,000 metric tonnes/year (more than doubling
current volumes) and ~$350million in additional revenue. It will also contribute to long-term regional and national economic outcomes.
“This is the most significant project in our company’s history of more than 35 years,” adds Carl.
“We are now moving into significant growth mode, not just talking about it, but actually doing it. There aren’t many New Zealand primary sector businesses that are on a growth trajectory. We are looking forward to proving up Blue Endeavour, and unlocking the immense potential of New Zealand’s Blue Economy.
“New Zealand King Salmon is really proud to be able to deliver this project in the heart of Te Tauihu, alongside key local partners who share our passion and commitment for the region.”
About Blue Endeavour:
- Blue Endeavour will be New Zealand’s first open ocean salmon farm. It will also be the world’s first farm of its type for the valuable King salmon (Chinook) fish species.
- Open ocean salmon aquaculture is the farming of salmon in enclosed fish pens, anchored in place to the seabed, in exposed marine environments.
- The Blue Endeavour pilot consists of two circular pens, each with an internal diameter of 53.5 metres. When fully operational, it is estimated the nets will span 30 metres below the ocean’s surface – or approximately 10 stories deep, with a ratio of approximately one percent salmon to 99 percent water.
- When fully operational, the farm will comprise two blocks of ten circular pens; the total farm area will be less than 12 surface hectares in size. Blue Endeavour will have the capacity to produce ~10,000 metric tonnes of King salmon, with an anticipated annual revenue of ~$350 million per annum.
- Watch the video here to see the latest developments, and visit our website Open Ocean – Blue Endeavour | New Zealand King Salmon for more information on Blue Endeavour.
Further information:
For further information, please contact Chantelle Te Haara, Corporate Communications Manager, chantelle.tehaara@kingsalmon.co.nz or +64 21 307 908.
ENDS