September 20, 2010

NZ-China joint venture to boost sea cucumber farming

A delegation from Tauranga's Chinese sister Yantai last week visited Bay of Plenty Polytechnic's new aquaculture facility and the Cawthron Institute in Nelson, for a proposed joint venture to research and pilot the production of sea cucumbers in ponds based in Opotiki, New Zealand.

The delegation, from Chinese aquaculture company Oriental Ocean, met with the Whakatohea partnership science and technical group, including representatives from Bay of Plenty Polytechnic and the Cawthron Institute, to discuss details of a major marine farming venture in Opotiki.

Dr Tim Lowe, head of School for Applied Sciences at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, explains to the delegation the details of hatchery and pond requirements for breeding the New Zealand sea cucumber Australostichopus mollis.

"Sea cucumber is a valuable delicacy in China and our New Zealand species is very similar," Lowe says. "These initial trials will be supported by aquaculture researchers at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, using our newly built aquaculture facility to supply juvenile sea cucumbers."

Oriental Ocean is one of the largest aquaculture corporations in China and brings a wealth of expertise in sea cucumber culture along with extensive knowledge of culturing other species and aquaculture in general.

The company is working with the Polytechnic and the Cawthron Institute to provide key expertise and advice on setting up for the first trial of sea cucumbers. If successful the joint venture will create a new and potentially very valuable industry for the Eastern Bay of Plenty economy.

Over the past decade, researchers in New Zealand have developed breeding and quantified nutritional aspects of on-growing of this animal. The proposed aquaculture venture will extend and commercialise this work in partnership with New Zealand stakeholders and Oriental Ocean.

Meanwhile, sources revealed that mussels will be supplied by a group of New Zealand companies under the brand New Zealand Pure Mussels and could be processed in Tauranga. There would be export of around 20,000 tonnes of mussels to Yantai every year, giving boom to the New Zealand's aquaculture industry.