May - Christchurch Fishing and Casting Club

SANFORD PUSHING FOR TROUT FARMING
Penny Wardle – Marlborough Express – 19/04/2012
Fisheries company Sanford is lobbying the Government to lift its ban on farming trout in
the sea so they can grow the fish species in places including the Marlborough Sounds.
Sanford managing director Eric Barratt yesterday told the Marlborough Express that the
Sounds would be more suited to cage-farming of trout than salmon because they could
tolerate higher water temperatures.
Unlike New Zealand King Salmon, Sanford would not seek to farm fish in places where
the Marlborough District Council had prohibited aquaculture, Mr. Barratt said. Instead,
the company would aim to convert some of its existing 300 mussel farms to trout.
"In our mind, sea-farming of trout is one of the best opportunities to expand aquaculture
and would be economically viable," he said.
Hundreds of thousands of tones of trout were grown in countries including Chile and
Norway and traded on world markets. Other coastal sites in New Zealand could also be
suited to sea-farming of trout, Mr. Barratt said.
The 1987 Conservation Act used to prohibit the farming of salmon and trout, he said.
About 20 years ago, government lifted the ban to allow salmon-farming. Recreational
fishers' fears that this would cause problems including trout disease and mass escapes had
proved unfounded.
Sanford farms salmon at Stewart Island but grows only shellfish in the Marlborough
Sounds.
Mr. Barratt and the Sanford board were in Havelock yesterday to tour the company's
mussel-processing factory, visit Marlborough Sounds mussel farms and meet people from
supporting businesses.
Sanford aquaculture manager Ted Culley said the company grew 1000 hectares of
mussels on 300 farms in the Marlborough Sounds; about one third of the total musselfarming
area. In recent years the company had invested about $130 million in
Marlborough including mechanisation of the Havelock plant which was completed in
April last year.
Sanford bought Sealord mussel farms two years ago and in December 2010 acquired
Pacifica Seafoods including Marlborough Mussel farms, boats and equipment, Mr.
Culley said.
Mechanisation of the Havelock factory had meant being able to process extra mussels
from the expanded operation without increasing staff, which stood at 230 people working
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