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Page 1: doLLars - Seafood Industry · Live rock Lobster earns big export doLLars ... Profitability fluctuated depending ... of the bright purple/red spiny (southern rock lobster)
Page 2: doLLars - Seafood Industry · Live rock Lobster earns big export doLLars ... Profitability fluctuated depending ... of the bright purple/red spiny (southern rock lobster)

6 | SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | VOLUME 22 NO. 5

Live rock Lobster earns big export

doLLarsa company which traces its origins to te anau and still has its head office there is the world’s largest producer of southern

rock lobster for the Asian market. Paul Elenio reports

The quota management system brought massive change to the New Zealand seafood industry when it was introduced in the late 1980s.

Previously fish could be caught by anyone who had a licence and complied with other regulations. Under the quota system a sustainable total catch or harvest of fish was set.

Individuals or companies were allocated the right to catch certain quantities of particular species. Quotas became like other forms of property – they could be leased, bought, sold or transferred. While there has been much tinkering with the system, its basis remains the same.

The impact on the rock lobster industry (of CRA coming into the QMS in 1990) was as big as it was in other fisheries and forced those involved to rethink their approach.

Such was the case in the CRA8 region of Southland and Fiordland. For some years individual companies in the region had been landing lobster through Jackson Bay, Milford, Riverton and Bluff, tailing and freezing them and exporting to the western seaboard of the United States.

It was a lucrative business for owner-operator boats and exporting companies that capitalised on an initiative largely pioneered via the

Chatham Islands fishery in the late 1960s. The lobster had to be a minimum size and egg-bearing females were returned to the water but otherwise there was no limit on quantities. The lobster was usually frozen on the boats and taken to processing plants for packaging.

But the introduction of the QMS forced change. The reason the government introduced the system was to manage the increasingly depleted stock of seafood.

Those involved in the industry in Southland foresaw the large cuts in quantities that would be forced on them and knew that they had to prioritise greater value for the lobster that they were allowed to land.

John Steffens, a director of the Fiordland Lobster Company, says the solution was provided from another part of the country. His friend, Bay of Plenty fisherman Alan Gard, a director of Mt Maunganui Seafoods, had already started exporting live lobster to Japan with obvious benefits.

“They were sending off the whole animal and getting as much per kilo as we were getting for just the tails - and in the process we were losing 60 percent of the (landed weight) crayfish. Obviously we had to move towards exporting live,” John said.

There were risks involved in the change, not the least of which being that the lobster could die before being sent overseas or arrive at its ultimate destination dead and of no value. There were also logistics problems in transporting the catch quickly from remote areas.

Exporting to Japan brought other challenges - the language, the need to build new relationships with importers, a change in the way the product was marketed.

Massa Kanno, the major shareholder in Mt Maunganui Seafoods, owned a 40-metre Japanese tuna pole vessel which was commissioned as a floating live lobster depot in Doubtful Sound. An old coastal trader, Kotonui in Milford Sound, was used to swim fish in a Para pool.

For two years the Southlanders worked closely with the Mt Maunganui company and in particular Kanno, a Japanese businessman with a chain of restaurants in Japan and the buyer of the lobster.

The Fiordland Lobster Company was formed in 1990. Some 15 fishermen took 50 percent of the shareholding, the rest being shared by the Mt Maunganui firm, Gard and Kanno.

The lobster were processed in Te Anau, the company turning an old

cOVEr FEAtUrE

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SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | OctObEr 2014 | 7

builder’s shed into a plant, complete with two concrete seawater tanks, freezers, chillers and a packing room. The export of frozen tails continued for a while longer.

The new operation brought more jobs and money to Te Anau which already enjoyed the benefits of farming, tourism and venison recovery.

In the first year the company handled and exported 60 tonnes of lobster.

John says the first 10 years were “a bit of a struggle”.

“We had our successes and our failures but we grew a bit each year.”

Profitability fluctuated depending on the catch. This could range between 60 and 300 tonnes a year.

One of the failures occurred when the tanker that brought seawater from Colic Bay to Te Anau had its pump break down. The driver attached a replacement but had forgotten it had last been used for sheep dip. The penny dropped when the bubbles were noticed in the water tanks and it was filled with dead lobster.

As the company grew so did the need for stronger governance and management. The company was very much like a big family.

The company was very much like a big family.

Chinese customers observe lobster catching in fiordland in July.live lobster is carefully packaged for export.

Newly-built fiordland boat the fv amazon receives Chinese visitors in the middle of george Sound, fiordland.

After 10 years Gard sold his share to pursue other interests and Kanno also sold, the shares being picked up by existing shareholders and investors. Ironically, FLC also bought the Mt Maunganui company that had started the live lobster exports.

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FUNDING�AVAILABLEFOR�SEAFOOD�INDUSTRY�RESEARCH�PROJECTS

FOR�INFORMATION�PLEASE�CONTACT�

Mike MandenoGeneral Manager, Seafood Innovations LtdMobile +64 21 548 330 • DDI +64 4 801 4695enquiries@seafoodinnovations.co.nzwww.seafoodinnovations.co.nz

Southland is the country’s biggest lobster region with 30 percent-plus of the lobster take. FLC was very much focussed on the CRA8 region but didn’t want the growth to exceed much above 50 percent of the total production.

“Our focus was on providing a good return to everyone in the supply chain. The company was founded by fishermen and we didn’t ever want to rip off our mates. The first priority was to protect the resource, then the fishermen.”

Expansion of the business came with quota in the neighbouring CRA7 Otago region and the establishment of a processing plant in Dunedin. This was followed by CRA4 in the North Island, having already acquired a plant in Mt Maunganui with the purchase of the live lobster pioneers. The company also processes CRA4 in Wellington.

The value of lobster soared with the emergence of the Chinese market some years ago. Where FLC was getting an average price of $13 a

kilo for its live product in Japan in 1990 last year the demand from China drove the price for the best quality lobster to over $80 a kilo.

As a result more than 90 percent of FLC’s live lobster is now sent to China because Japan could not match the price. Putting all your lobsters in one basket could be seen as a risk that should be spread but such is the difference in price that the risk is one worth taking.

FLC is now sending 800 tonnes of lobster to China - and now this is being bolstered by 500 tonnes from Australia.

The company’s foothold across the Tasman followed a similar process to its establishment in New Zealand.

It saw an opportunity when it identified that the fishermen were not achieving fair value and FLC started to buy from them, offering better prices and service. It formed the South Australian Lobster Company and then brought Tasmania and then Victoria into the fold, the company buying existing plants or built new ones to handle the booming trade.

FLC continues to grow. It has an office in China and a marketing team in New Zealand which visits China frequently.

The relationships with its Chinese partners are important to FLC which ensures that when the lobster arrives by air freight it is handled in the most sophisticated facilities. China buys live lobster and fish from all over the world and, by comparison to Japan, there are fewer “middle men” and markups are not as high in China, John Steffens said.

With such a high priced product quality is the top priority. If there is a mortality rate in excess of five percent in a shipment then that has to be credited off the next order. “Shabby” exports would result in the door closing on further sales.

“We put a lot of resources into research, we want our lobster not to be stressed, to be happy little chappies,” John said.

FLC offers a limited number of “baby crays” to China. There is a smaller legal size limit on lobster landed from

With such a high priced product quality is the top priority. If there is a mortality rate in excess of 5 percent in a shipment then that

has to be credited off the next order.

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SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | OctObEr 2014 | 9

the Otago fishery than that which exists in the rest of the country, the reason being that the region is small geographically and the lobster migrate to the neighbouring Cray 8 region.

In a clever marketing ploy these smaller lobster are promoted as “baby” ones that are only available from the Otago region and from South Africa. The size allows greater flexibility for restaurant chefs who might serve the smaller lobster as an entree.

The company’s marketing focuses on the delicate handling of the bright purple/red spiny (southern rock lobster).

It highlights the company’s holding depots and export factories being audited and fully licensed by the

Ministry for Primary Industries, its in-depth training programmes and the numbers of staff who have the New Zealand Certificate in Aquaculture.

The company says rock lobster stocks are managed well above sustainability levels and fully supports NZRLIC and CRAMAC representation in the industry.

Moving live lobster requires a well established transport infrastructure.

FLC group general manager sales and marketing David Prendergast says helicopters are used in the Fiordland area to fly live lobster from the depots to Te Anau. Elsewhere the catch is transported by insulated truck to one of five export packing factories in New Zealand. Here fish are weighed and graded then swum

in tanks to rejuvenate them for 24-48 hours before being packed for export from the Christchurch and Auckland international airports.

Nonetheless, Mr Prendergast laments the industry has not yet been able to establish a Certificate of Non Manipulation (CNM) out of Australia for transhipment through to China.

“Under the New Zealand free trade agreement with China we have to produce a CNM for anything hubbed over a third country port. If we could achieve this document over Sydney to Shanghai, 80 percent of our South Island business would be exported from Christchurch. This would take a lot of pressure out of the logistics chain and assist the industry greatly.”

fiordland lobster is the centrepiece of this sashimi dish in China.

fiordland chief executive alan buckner, chairman bryan henderson and chief representative, China office, Joe Zhong, inspect product in Shanghai.

fiordland lobster packed for a long journey.

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SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | OctObEr 2014 | 15

rEciPES

CrayfiSh NEWburgrecipe: Fiordland Lobster company, te Anau

preparation

a basin standing over a saucepan of gently simmering water).

Stir until the mixture is sufficiently thick to coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT allow to boil. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Arrange the hot rice on warm serving plates. Place equal amounts of crayfish meat and liquid from the pan on to the centre of each.

Pour the cream and egg yolk sauce over each. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.

ingredients

• 2 cooked crayfish (eachapprox 450g or 1 x 1kg)

• Salt and (freshly milled) black pepper

• 75g butter

• 5 tablespoons of good dry sherry(Tio Pepe or Pykes Fino, preferably)

• 150ml of fresh cream

• Yolks of 3 standard eggs

• 225g of freshly boiled rice

• Paprika

Cut crayfish in half and discard the stomach.

Remove the meat from the shell and cut into neat cubes.

Season with salt and pepper, then fry gently in butter for approximately two minutes.

Pour in sherry and simmer slowly until the liquid has reduced by approximately half.

Put the cream and the (broken) egg yolks into a double saucepan, (or into

Crayfish newburg is a popular recipe used by locals in Te anau, home of the fiordland lobster Company.

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20 | SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | VOLUME 22 NO. 5

convenience and proMotion the key,

says norwegian guestGrowing the Blue Economy was the theme of the Seafood Industry

Conference in Wellington. The conference was split into four main sessions reflective of the current industry strategy and also covering off politics in

the leadup to the general election. The following summarises the day.

the political Landscape

Both the opening of the conference by the Prime Minister, John Key, and the political debate with the seafood spokespeople for the major parties, were focused on their political promotion.

John Key began by stating that as far as he was concerned New Zealand has the best seafood in the world – “without a doubt”. He told theconference that he has entertained guests in New Zealand, ranging from Hillary Clinton, to “Will and Kate” and they all loved the New Zealand seafood.

John Key said he believed that the environmental credibility of the seafood industry “went hand in hand with quality”, and the Quota Management System “was world class and the right way to approach your industry”.

Jane Clifton of the Listener gave the audience an insightful overview of the political landscape, while Hilary Barry’s introduction about her days fishing with her dad and providing the “burley,” gained a lot of laughs. Hilary’s light touch was a great foil for the more serious panel of politicians including Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, Damien O’Connor (Labour), Steffan Browning (Green) and Richard Prosser (NZ First).

keynote presentation

The huge investment his council puts into market research of consumers gives the industry a facts-based insight into how it should promote its products.

“Number one and two are taste and health and we can see that environment and food safety are not that important when you ask the consumers … we will try and put more effort on making taste relevant to the consumer. We believe that we should inspire consumers to eat seafood out of joy rather than out of duty.”

Norway’s second most important export species is cod which Terje says is too much identified as just another cheap white fish. So the council rebranded cod as Norwegian Screi, set a standard for it and then set about promotion.

“We’re inviting the chefs to Norway. They will learn how to prepare it when it is really fresh … it takes some years to get the benefits on what you are initiating in marketing.”

Terje says in this case the promotion has been going for 10 years and it is really only in the past two or three years that the industry has seen the preferred buying results coming through for Screi.

Terje’s presentation provided clear pointers for how we could progress a country of origin or provenance approach.

The keynote speaker was the managing director of the Norwegian Seafood Council, Terje Martinussen.

Seafood exports are Norway’s third most valuable export category, dominated by farmed salmon and worth $NZ11b a year. Norway is the world’s biggest salmon exporter with sales to more than 130 countries.

Terje told the conference that Norway was so reliant on the seafood industry that it took the depletion of its fish stocks in the 1960s and 70s very seriously and has rebuilt “all of them”.

He made a number of observations.

First, the selling point of convenience.

“You don’t want to spend too much time making the dinner, but you want to enjoy it. Seafood has a huge opportunity with convenience. Think of sushi – how simple and convenient it is.”

Second, promotion is hard work.

“We have to guide the consumer. It is not enough to put “ecological” or “sustainable” on the package. You have to work much harder on the issue in order to get the consumer realising that you are actually the one that is providing something that appeals to them, and for their family.”

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SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | OctObEr 2014 | 21

Norwegian Terje Martinussen was the keynote speaker at the seafood conference.

prime Minister John key told the conference that New Zealand’s seafood was the best in the world.

Telling the New Zealand Story

setting the benchmark

Our Premium Seafood

Alison Sykora, Sealord’s public affairs and communication manager, gave a snapshot of some of Sealord’s activity aimed at getting positive “cut-through” with the public. Not surprisingly, one example, was promoting great tasting, great quality, sustainable seafood with international chefs. Another is capturing people’s imagination and attention with clever visuals and use of technology.

What better way to finish up the conference with a cocktail function showcasing New Zealand’s finest seafood. The seafood was fresh, continuous and delicious.

could be change to “fully-harvested” or “fished at optimal levels”.

Ross Keeley, chief executive of SeaDragon, updated the conference on its growing fish oil business, including those from hoki and salmon. One of its biggest challenges is supply, with the company expecting to import in excess of $10 million of unrefined fish oil over the next 12 months. SeaDragon is keen to get more local suppliers on board but the source needs to be EU certified.

Another great example of finding innovative uses for non-traditional products was presented by Dr Jim Gibbs of Lincoln University. This “genuine Kiwi innovation” is the brainchild of Kypros Kotzikas of United Fisheries where fish guts are turned into silage for agricultural use.

The project, co-funded by Seafood Innovations Ltd, has shown that fish silage used in cattle and sheep diets reduces methane gas emissions, increases the level of healthy unsaturated fats in milk and meat and reduces gut worms in cattle and sheep. The next exciting and challenging step is getting the product commercially ready for market.

Gary Taylor, chairman of the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) had a simple proposal for industry: a collaborative approach has got to be better than litigation and that getting key stakeholders in a room working towards consensus was the way to go. He said EDS was keen to work constructively with the seafood industry and would like to “be able to stand alongside the industry and endorse its environmental integrity”.

A key plank of the seafood industry’s five year strategy is setting the benchmark for science and innovation and being “internationally respected for our innovative and leading approach to science-based fisheries and aquaculture management” .

The Ministry for Primary Industries principal adviser of the Fisheries Science team, Pamela Mace, talked about the “Perceptions and Misperceptions of New Zealand’s Marine Fisheries”.

She dispelled the myth that the state of our fisheries is grim. Rather they are performing well, overall. She also suggested that maybe it’s time we looked at changing the traditional language used internationally, to describe the state of our fisheries. For example, the term “fully-exploited”

Keith’s presentation led on nicely to Rebecca Smith of New Zealand Story who outlined a government initiative to help build a more consistent and compelling story about our country for exporters.

Lou Sanson, the new head of the Department of Conservation, outlined his plans for the department, including his desire to work in partnership with industry to find solutions to shared issues. Lou’s refreshing message was welcomed by the conference audiece.

Dr Keith Woodford from Lincoln University took provenance a step further in relation to our largest export market, China. He said that all primary producers in New Zealand should band together under New Zealand Inc. This would see all products available online and all would be of guaranteed provenance.

He recognised that this approach would require a strong partnership between government and industry but said the structure and focus would need to remain commercial.

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22 | SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | VOLUME 22 NO. 5

Taking a break from the speeches are industry leaders (from left), Tim pankhurst, doug paulin, george Clement and andrew Talley.

keith and karena Mawson, kim and dion Muollo and godfrey Wilson enjoy the networking at the end of a busy day.

graham patchell, george Clement and Jeremy helson talk to primary industries Minister Nathan guy.

geoff (left) and peter Creighton were the successful bidders for car-toonist Tom Scott’s depiction of party leaders contesting the election.

Enjoying a drink after a long day of discussion (from left) : dianne brown, graeme hastilow, Terje Martinussen, peter douglas, ben potaka and Charlie Mackey.

SEAFOOD cONFErENcE SOciAL PicS

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26 | SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | VOLUME 22 NO. 5

teLLing the new ZEALAND STOry

A recurring theme at this year’s seafood industry conference was the value of country of origin as an important tool in helping industry

gain competitive advantage in a crowded marketplace.

Terje Martinussen of the Norwegian Seafood Council set the scene by showing how Norway had built its seafood brand, Norje Brand, around the positive aspects of its country and how it had paid dividends for its members, including stronger market demand and premium prices. In the afternoon session Keith Woodford of Lincoln University encouraged our industry to look at ‘NZ Inc’ as a means of marketing our seafood with the guarantee of ‘down under provenance’, to give us a competitive edge. That was followed by a presentation by Rebecca Smith who showed us some tools that could help us do exactly that.

Rebecca is the director of the New Zealand Story, a government initiative that aims to broaden global perceptions of New Zealand’s value and provide businesses with greater competitive advantage in offshore markets. As part of the initiative, a toolkit has been developed to help businesses talk about New Zealand in a more consistent and meaningful way.

So what is in the toolkit and how can it help the seafood sector? The New Zealand Story business toolkit is a free resource that includes professional quality images, videos, templates and infographics created to ‘help show our global markets the unique value of New Zealand, our people, culture and character.’ It allows companies and individuals to pick and mix a series of videos and images and put

them together in a way that helps promote their products and services to international customers. It also provides infographics and presentations that provide evidence of our strengths as a country. The website provides full details about the tools, and conditions around their use, and is well worth a look www.nzstory.govt.nz.

As Rebecca outlined in her presentation, Seafood New Zealand is working with the New Zealand Story to develop a seafood sector version of the New Zealand Story video that can be used by individual companies as part of their marketing collateral. The video will utilise the Story’s chapter

framework of Open Spaces, Open Hearts and Open Minds, to bring to life the unique attributes of the New Zealand seafood sector showcasing the industry’s key strengths. The project is expected to be completed in the next few months and Seafood New Zealand will ensure it is widely circulated to industry for their use.

“All the evidence points to country of origin as a powerful marketing tool for our sector, and this is a great start in telling our story in a compelling and visual way,” says Tim Pankhurst, chief executive of Seafood New Zealand.

Trolling rig for vessels

2014/2015

ALBACORE TUNA SEASONTalley’s wish to welcome all Albacore Tuna fishermen to the South Island fishery where we operate the only complete chain of tuna receiving depots.

These buying stations are:

• Picton Larry Moses 03-548 0109 021 438 387• Nelson Larry Moses 03-548 0109 021 438 387• Motueka Barry Gardiner 03-528 2813 021 527 470• Tarakohe Alf Reid 03-525 3300 0274 500 501• Westport Nathan Howes 03-788 9175 021 353 912• Greymouth Geoff Drake 03-769 9070 021 743 074 • Jackson Bay Geoff Drake 03-769 9070 021 743 074 • All other Ports Roger Burgess 03-769 9070 021 229 4078

This season we will, as usual, offer our now legendary shore assistance to all vessel owners and crews.

We would like to buy your tuna, whether it be frozen or iced, and will unload your vessel at any of the above buying stations. We will help you gear up your vessel so if you need assistance please phone us. Should you have a vessel that needs a skipper or, be a skipper who needs a vessel, please

don’t hesitate to call us. We welcome all enquiries.

PLEASE CONTACT

Roger BurgessTalley’s Group Ltd - PO Box 5 Motueka 7143Telephone: 03-528 2800 - Cell: 021 229 4078

• 24-hour speedy discharge• Cleaning and sanitisation of fish holds• A 24-hour provedoring service• Diesel at very competitive prices• Use of our slurry bins• Organisation of all mechanical and electrical repairs• Supply of the full range of tuna gear• Metfax up-to-the-minute weather information• NIWA sea surface temperature charts• NIWA tuna fish forecast charts• Speedy payment• Free ice

New Zealand Story image capturing “Open hearts”.

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28 | SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | VOLUME 22 NO. 5

Paul Elenio looks back to the origins of the Seafood New Zealand title.

FrOM thE DiStANt PASt

title and some not “but like most change nowadays acceptance comes in time, albeit with resignation in some quarters. However the deed is done – the Directors have spoke – the press has pressed – and withthe complete absence of fanfare and ceremony we have turned into Seafood New Zealand”.

The note finished by hoping that subscribers would recognise that the magazine had changed its name, not disappeared, but the bad news was that the subscription rates, “held at an artificially low level for a long time” were increasing.

The front cover feature was focused on New Zealand’s seafood exports to Asia, with particular interest in South Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. The feature included New Zealand’s entry in Hofex 1993, a massive exhibition of food.

The largest part of the exhibition stand for New Zealand was in the hands of the seafood industry with active participation from Sealord Products Ltd, Moana Pacific, Regal Salmon, Independent Fisheries and others.

“The fresh chilled fish and shellfish displays which have come to be a hallmark of New Zealand’s trade fair participation were extremely popular as evidenced by the numbers of visitors jostling to be photographed in front of the display…

“The shellfish display featured greenshell mussels, oysters, queen scallops and cockles. The fresh fish display varied daily but included gurnard, snapper, hapuka, bass, trevally, salmon and john dory.”

In the same month the industry participated in a Tradenz-run food fair held in a major hotel in Seoul. Centrepiece was a Taste the New Zealand Way menu in the Hyatt’s Terrace restaurant which featured not only Kiwi seafood entrees and main courses but also New Zealand meat dishes.

Prime Minister Jim Bolger called in to open the fair, which attracted media attention.

A month later Tradenz also organised New Zealand’s participation in Tokyo’s first international seafood show, the magazine noting that Japan was moving away from catching to importing and processing what seafood it needed. Japan was New Zealand’s biggest seafood export market.

Volume 1, issue 1 of Seafood magazine carried a long editorial that asked many questions of the government’s move towards user pays in fisheries management.

“How does industry decide how much is spent in respect of the activities in each sector? Is it by value of quota,

Turning 21 has traditionally been seen as an important milestone in life.

Until fairly recently achieving two decades plus one meant you qualified to drink in a bar, to vote and take a punt. It was time for a celebration capped off by the presentation of a symbolic key, as if to say that this meant you were free to come and go from home for the first time.

Of course times have moved on. The voting, betting and drinking ages have been reduced to 18 and a 21st is just a sound reason for a blowout with your mates.

So how do we mark the fact that Seafood New Zealand magazine has turned 21?

These days the print media is under siege from digital forms of communication and social media. These are not only fast and instant, they are also free – so for magazines, especially specialist industry ones, to survive is worth celebrating.

In fact the magazine is older than the title’s appearance in August 1993. That edition was the first to carry the name, the magazine having previously been known as NZ Professional Fisherman.

A note at the front of the magazine said some might approve of the new

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SEAFOOD NEW ZEALAND | OctObEr 2014 | 29

number involved, perceived need or simply weight of argument? If one takes research for instance it’s obvious that each sector will want more or at least a large slice of the pie. How are those assessments to be made and probably more importantly how are the costs and/or expenditures to be apportioned?”

The editorial suggested that one model that could be adopted was that used by ORH3B Limited to administer the 3B orange roughy harvesting scheme.

The letters to the editor in that first issue were notable for one from a hydrobiologist in Vladivostock, Russia, “sociable, even-tempered man of 36”, seeking a job in New Zealand.

The magazine published lengthy material from the MAF Fisheries team including updated rules and regulations for bycatch and reports from three regions on recreational catches. And the Maritime Safety Division of the Ministry of Transport provided details of the distress and safety radio service.

The magazine’s regular Legal Fishhooks column covered a broad spectrum of advice and in this magazine it provided guidance around the new motor vehicle demerit points system.

Among all the technical material and advertising a small piece at the rear of the magazine is appealing.

Titled “Young Man With A Mission”, it says that at 13 years Zach Aitken probably has more fishing experience than fishermen twice his age.

“In fact he has been fishing with his father, Peter Aitken, part-time for most of his 13 years and full time on the F V Atu for the past two years.

“On board the Atu Zach does his school work by correspondence and ‘after school’ and on weekends he carries out his fishing work.

“According to Peter, Zach is an excellent deck hand and is proficient in all aspects of deckwork and watchkeeping. For instance, Zach attended the June ’93 Tuna Handling

…but like most change nowadays acceptance comesin time, albeit with resignation in some quarters.

Course run at Tauranga by Andy Smith and later Andy stated that Zach already knew more than he could teach him.

“There’s little doubt that Zach at age 13 is the youngest to ever hold

a tuna handling certificate. One for the record books, for sure.”

Zach would be 34 now, presumably with many years of fishing under his belt.