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WHAT MAKES MY FISH HAPPY?

In the old days, Duncan fed three kilogrammes of fish product to grow one kilogramme of fish. That didn’t make sense. Now, his salmon feed is mostly vegetable proteins and fats, with some fish by-products from sustainably managed fisheries. “Our feed supplier has just said they won’t source raw materials that humans eat, as competing with humans doesn’t make sense. Also, we used to feed the salmon fish oil to boost omega-3s, but now we feed omega-3s sourced from algae. That’s made us a positive fish producer.” Duncan also allows his fish plenty of room to move. Each pen is 99 per cent water and one per cent fish, which protects the seabed, water quality, and — of course — the fish. “Farmers have empathy for animals. If you’re a beancounter and you’ve invested a lot of money in water space, the natural thing is to utilize that investment to its maximum potential. Whereas I think, ‘ When are my salmon happy?’ I feel they’re happy when they’re in a biomass of fewer than 10 kilogrammes per metre squared, which is super light compared with salmon farms worldwide. But they can have significant production problems, and I think it’s better to have one live salmon than three dead ones.”

Akaroa Salmon continued to supply California until the mid-1990s when the Chileans undercut the market. The company switched its focus to building demand in New Zealand and set up a processing factory to be more responsive to the market.

“Tom did all the regulatory work and marketing. He liked the idea of traveling around New Zealand, talking to chefs and selling our salmon. We were the first to get salmon onto restaurant menus,” says Duncan. Over the years, the proportion of export to domestic sales has dipped and risen through market, earthquake and pandemic challenges. Currently, about 60 per cent of Akaroa Salmon is savoured offshore, with 40 per cent mostly going into local retail and food-bag sales.

Tom’s retired now, and Duncan remains thankful for his support. “We worked well together. I was young and energetic, and Dad had a lifetime in farming, teaching him resilience and grit. I believe neither of us could have done it independently, and some fantastic people supported us. There were mistakes and times when there wasn’t much money. Sometimes I wanted to walk away, but Dad said, ‘No, hang in there, I think you’re onto something.’ I’m forever grateful for that.”

Now Akaroa Salmon has a fleet of seven purpose-built vessels to care for and catch the salmon and a team of 15 or so full-time aquaculture workers. About 40 more work in the office and factory.

It’s no longer a family-owned business but still feels whānau-run, says Duncan. Some years ago, Tom sold his shares to a Singaporean family, who on-sold to Filipino shareholders, who in December 2021, sold their shares to Ngāti Porou, and an Auckland family, and — to Duncan’s delight — Ōnuku Runanga. He loves having the shares back in Aotearoa, where Akaroa Salmon’s founding values — a commitment to the sustainability of the environment and the community in which they operate — are now actively embraced by all shareholders.

Those include minimum stocking rates, the best fish food (see sidebar, previous page) and — vital for Duncan — generous community investment back into Akaroa.

“I played cricket here, played rugby, had myself fixed up in the local hospital. When you grow up in a place, you’re part of it. You make a conscious effort, and you’re accepted. I love employing local people and local contractors, although it gets harder and harder to do. I love sharing with the community some of the successes we are fortunate enough to have.

“This is how farmers operate — we look after where we live. We are a farming family — we just took a skill set from sheep and cattle farmers and used it to farm fish.”

Outstanding Nz

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2022-09-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thisnzlife.pressreader.com/article/283433490349946

NZ Lifestyle Magazine Group