Green light given for salmon farm in Cook Strait

A nine-year long battle for approval to establish the world’s first open ocean king salmon farm has today been won.

New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) has revealed they have been granted final Government approval to go ahead with their salmon farm, located 7km off Cape Lambert, in the Cook Strait.

The move comes despite concerns from conservationists about the environmental impact of the farm, with both the Department of Conservation and Wellington-based think-tank McGuiness Institute appealing original approval in 2021.

NZKS Chief Executive Officer Carl Carrington today described the process to gain resource consent, Fisheries New Zealand approval and to find common ground with iwi, eNGOs, and the community as being ‘very robust.’

Having achieved this milestone, the next 18 months will be pivotal for the farm, named Blue Endeavour, he explains.

“Aquaculture is a business that rewards patience and caution.

“We will dip our toes into the open ocean, to carefully realise Blue Endeavour’s potential, while continuing to talk to local communities, iwi and others who also have key interests, rights and values around the ocean,” Carl says.

Blue Endeavour is expected to produce 10,000 tonnes of harvested salmon annually, with export revenue of up to $300 million per year.

Regional economies will benefit from growth in supporting infrastructure and services required, such as boat servicing, and skilled jobs in farming, engineering, processing and more, say NSKS.

Trial pens will be put in place from June 2025 with a smaller scale pilot farm being built.

“This is when it starts to get exciting from a farming point of view – building a smaller-scale pilot farm so that we can trial new infrastructure while monitoring the welfare of our salmon, to ensure they can thrive,” Carl says.

“From here, we will complete our 18-month programme of rigorous benthic (seabed), seabird and marine mammal monitoring.

“This will provide a baseline of information, against which we can measure the impacts of a working salmon farm.

NZKS has farmed salmon for more than 35 years in the Marlborough Sounds, and with nursery, hatchery and processing land-based operations in Nelson, Tākaka and Canterbury.

NZKS General Manager of Aquaculture Grant Lovell says today’s announcement is groundbreaking in terms of pioneering the open ocean.

“When we look to the open ocean, we are looking at the future for salmon farming in New Zealand – in cooler, deeper waters.

“It is a bit of a new frontier for our aquaculture industry – but one that we are entering one step at a time, backed by science and evidence-based decision making.”

During an extensive planning phase, NZKS undertook comprehensive assessments of the environmental effects and applied independent science from the Cawthron Institute, SLR Consulting and Robertson Environmental.

The further expansion of salmon farms in inshore areas is unlikely in New Zealand – open ocean aquaculture is recognised as being critical for the future sustainable growth of the salmon sector.

Grant says setting up fish pens in the open ocean is “not for the faint hearted.”

“Putting fish pens out in the open ocean is not for the faint hearted. We will be working in a dynamic environment, with waves up to 10 metres high – anyone that has caught the Cook Strait ferry knows what we are talking about.

“We will be trialling technologies and investing in mooring grid infrastructure to ensure we are able to adapt to the Cook Strait conditions.”

Final approval is a win for the economy says Oceans and Fisheries Minister the Hon Shane Jones,

“Blue Endeavour will be the first open ocean aquaculture salmon farm in New Zealand. It’s going to provide more jobs for the Marlborough region and benefit our economy by providing sustainable kaimoana to the world.”