NEW ZEALAND
Monday, July 26, 2010, 08:30 (GMT + 9)
Numerous applications for aquaculture farms frozen since 2001 will be cleared to go on under the latest period of aquaculture law reforms.
Although no applications lodged since 2001 have been granted, the government said it intends to develop a framework to let the industry grow.
Aquaculture New Zealand said the industry could expand three-fold to sales exceeding NZD 1 billion (USD 720.1 million) by 2025 if the law reforms go through.
Back in 2001, a moratorium on applications for new aquaculture space was forced due to worries over the amount of lodged applications. Said moratorium expired in late 2004 when a new set of legislation was implemented, mandating the creation of Aquaculture Management Areas (AMAs) to control where aquaculture farms were permitted, BusinessDay.co.nz reports.
No AMAs have been set up, however.
Some 60 applications for 8,066 ha of sea space lodged prior to the moratorium have consequently been on hold since.
On Thursday, the government announced it would do away with the AMAs, such that applications for new farms will be decided upon under the Resource Management Act, with an additional test to decide if the activities would harm wild fishing.
Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Phil Heatley said law reforms would let historical and future applications advance.
"This reform will effectively free up the bottleneck that has kept industry growth in limbo for many years," he stated.
The government also revealed it will inflict changes on the regional coastal plans in Tasman and Waikato to allow for applications for finfish farming.
Farming species like salmon is so profitable it produces at least 10 times as much money as farming mussels, which generates NZD 30,000 (USD 21,604) a ha a year.
In contrast, Wakatu Incorporation chief executive Keith Palmer said, finfish farms returned over NZD 1 million (USD 720,139) a ha and enjoy much higher demand while requiring much less water space, reports The Nelson Mail.
The cabinet had pondered lifting restrictions on areas where aquaculture is banned, Heatley said, but called it "a bridge too far".
A new fund will be set up for the costs of the planning process. It will be repaid by levies on new farms.
The government and industry have both acknowledged admitted that the existing system offered little motivation for local politicians to investigate aquaculture.
A select committee later will consider the proposed changes later this year and they will not come into effect until 2011.
Related article:
- Aquaculture reforms on the way
By Natalia Real
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
FIS - Worldnews - Aquaculture farm applications to be cleared
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