This Flagship supports the expansion of New Zealand’s ocean and land-based aquaculture industry.
We focus on developing high-value aquaculture species at scale and pace, while identifying and mitigating the environmental and biological risks to aquaculture operations and to the environment. We will work with iwi/Māori, industry and regulators, and use advanced technologies, to deliver research that is ready for rapid uptake and use.
This research supports New Zealand’s Aquaculture Development Plan, which aims to quadruple the size of this economic sector, reaching $3 billion by 2035. Key priorities of this Plan are to maximise value from existing space and to identify and implement the best new opportunities from a technological and market perspective.
A key goal of this Flagship is to demonstrate and develop commercial-scale, land-based culture of finfish, focusing on haku (yellowtail kingfish) at NIWA’s Northland Aquaculture Centre. This will include research to maximise the quality and production of haku through ongoing broodstock, nutrition and aquaculture systems development. Research within this Flagship will also develop and apply approaches to expand ocean aquaculture for both existing cultured species and potential new species.
