Blue Endeavour

We have lodged an application with Marlborough District Council (MDC) for resource consent to place an open ocean farm, which we have named Blue Endeavour, 7km north of Cape Lambert in the Cook Strait.

The application is likely to go to a hearing in August 2021 once submitters have been fully consulted at the end of May.

If successful this will drive significant economic benefits to the region, eventually delivering over 340 of green jobs to the Top of the South with an associated revenue of $200 million if the two farms which will produce 4,000t per 18-month cycle gets the go ahead.

The site will provide more appropriate water space and conditions to grow our fish. The earliest possible harvest is mid CY24.

We have developed a wide range of management plans including birds, marine mammals and sharks, fish, navigation and safety management, management of biosecurity, landscape and recreational. They have been developed prior to meeting with a range of submitters, including iwi, Department of Conservation, Environmental Defence Society and others prior to a hearing.

Open ocean finfish farming is one of the planks of the Government’s Aquaculture Strategy which was launched in September 2019 with the target of $3 billion to be reached by 2035.