40 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Biomarine Oysters Growing top oysters in pristine waters Kim Newth All plumbing & drain laying services • Septic & water tanks Drain repair & Blockages • Hot water replacements • Solar All Plumbing Maintenance 027 481 1127 • jason.wech@gmail.com Warkworth Omaha Area Proud to support Biomarine Oysters MAHURANGI MARINE PROUDLY SUPPORTS BIOMARINE LIMITED with their Honda Marine Outboard Motors Honda’s dedication to developing human and environmentally friendly engines of the highest quality, combined with an unrivalled team of R&D professionals re-defining the limits, enhancing performance. Honda's world famous automotive and marine engine technology offer an outstanding power-to-weight ratio, low fuel consumption, reliable power and reduced periodical maintenance. Resulting in maximum time on the water for a lower cost of ownership. 09 425 5806 mahumarine@orcon.net.nz Inter-tidal areas are crucial to grow clean succulent oysters. In today’s competitive global shellfish market, New Zealand’s remoteness and enviably clean marine environment is a real positive for our aquaculture businesses. A star producer in the industry is New Zealand’s premier oyster company, Biomarine. Biomarine’s commercial oyster farm operations are extensive, with leases in the Mahurangi Harbour (46ha), the mouth of the Kaipara Harbour (77ha) and the Bay of Islands, (9.5ha in Orongo and 12.5ha in the Waikere inlet). Wild, natural spat-falls sustain the farms, with oysters grown in New Zealand’s pristine marine waters. Natural variability is preserved, with the best oysters selected for export around the world. Biomarine is committed to the IFOAM organic programme, with every part of the growing and processing operation audited to ensure no artificial or chemical processes are used. This whole venture began more than 40 years ago in a lab at the University of Auckland, shared by two postgraduate marine biologists with a vision to make a future in aquaculture. With investment in Pacific oyster farming just starting to take off back then, Jim Dollimore and John Nicholson seized an opportunity to get involved with the nascent new industry in the Mahurangi Harbour. Out of this, Biomarine was born. While John has since stepped away from the business, Jim continues to guide the company forward, and today sees plenty of scope for further growth ahead. “The oysters we produce are very well-regarded,” says Jim. “We compete well against French producers who have farms in Ireland, as well as North America especially producers on the west coast of Canada and the United States. Biomarine spent a lot of money building the biggest and newest packhouse in the industry at Warkworth in 2015, primarily to service our export markets.” Biomarine is part of a joint venture that exports oysters under the Jemco brand to Japan and also exports under the Blue Pearl and Kaipara Oysters brands to various markets including Australia, the US, Canada, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. Of Biomarine’s annual production – totalling six to nine million oysters – 90 per cent is exported to the global market. Clean, succulent oysters in a half-shell presentation are highly prized by shellfish lovers around the world. Oysters presented this way can only be grown inter-tidally and, as Jim points out, there are fewer and fewer intertidal areas left in the world that are not over-crowded or under pressure from human activity. “We’re lucky in New Zealand to still have a lot of good intertidal areas where we are able to grow premium half-shell oysters. France does try to grow inter-tidally in Ireland too but its more challenging for them.” Not all of Biomarine’s lease areas, for example in the Kaipara, are farmed though most is due to be fully developed by 2028. It is anticipated that further refinements in farming techniques will bring ongoing growth over time too. Much of the growth in production is likely to come out of the Kaipara. Jim says the growing conditions there are “very exposed”, requiring different farm techniques but very clean water also results in oysters of exceptional quality, taste and texture. “Ultimately, we expect to be producing 20 to 25 million oysters a year,” says Jim, who observes that Biomarine’s Warkworth processing facility was designed with this future production in mind. “We are not running at anywhere near full capacity yet.” Biomarine employs a 50-strong team of oyster farmers and packhouse staff. With more efficient farming techniques being developed, Jim thinks significant increases in production will be achieved, bringing more jobs particularly on the processing side. Over the past several years, Biomarine has been trialling an innovative upweller system to grow shellfish. Like an incubator for oysters, it provides a protected environment for growth and, at the same time, gives each individual oyster more room to grow. The end result is more consistently sized product, while still retaining genetic diversity, as well as reducing waste. Jim says this method of production is already starting to become a significant gamechanger for Biomarine. In 2020, Jim suffered a serious spinal injury in a bicycle accident in Marlborough that has involved him in a slow and steady rehabilitation journey. While this has changed how he manages the business, it has not altered his passion for the industry, which he shares with partner Gill Telford. “I can’t be quite as hands on as I used to be,” he explains. “It just means the farm manager, factory manager, logistics manager and admin team have had to step up a level. They have done so and it’s worked out fine.”
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