4 | NIWA: Kingfish Aquaculture Facility T T Karen Phelps Kingfish farm showing huge promise T T to page 6 “Bringing the project on land has a number of benefits – we can control the water coming into the farm, and we can also capture most of the nutrients going out and use settling ponds to treat it.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT NIWA and Northland Regional Council’s land-based kingfish farm in Ruakaka is setting the stage for a new chapter in New Zealand’s aquaculture industry, with the potential to create significant employment opportunities and establish a new high-value export market. “It’s very exciting and we are already getting a lot of domestic and international investment interest,” says NIWA RAS manager Amanda Cleary. The state-of-the-art recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility, which was officially opened in August last year, is a collaboration between NIWA and Northland Regional Council, and marks the culmination of over two decades of research and development at the site. The project has already achieved commercial production status, currently yielding around 230 tonnes of premium kingfish annually, with capacity to reach 600 tonnes. “There are challenges with any new system, which we have been refining. We also don’t want to flood the market. To keep a good price on the fish we need to create value and a brand,” explains Amanda. The facility features eight 350,000-litre tanks, each four metres deep, utilising advanced filtration and UV treatment systems to maintain optimal growing conditions. Amanda says the controlled environment of the RAS facility offers significant advantages over traditional sea-based farming methods. “Bringing the project on land has a number of benefits – we can control the water coming into the farm, and we can also capture most of the nutrients going out and use settling ponds to treat it. Around 95-99% of water is being re-circulated through the system. Side projects are already underway to research potential uses for the waste products.” Several key industry partners have contributed to the facility’s success. McKay completed the electrical fit-out, and Alta Consulting managed the project’s construction. GD Plumbing is delivering plumbing services for alterations after the original handover, and Air Liquide NZ provides and manages the liquid oxygen systems essential for maintaining optimal conditions in the tanks. NIWA’s research shows that kingfish can grow from a 1mm egg to a 3kg market-sized fish in less than 12 months. The species, known as haku in te reo Māori, has proven particularly well-suited to landbased farming, with excellent flesh quality making it ideal for premium products such as sashimi. At Alta, our job is to help deliver better project outcomes. We do this by applying independent construction expertise in the areas of constructability, cost and commercial and project delivery. hello@altacon.co.nz www.altacon.co.nz 021 198 8980 Alta is proud to have project managed the design, consenting and construction of the NIWA RAS project.
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