Two appeals have been launched against the government consent for New Zealand King Salmon's offshore venture Blue Endeavour.
Farming close to shore has been made increasingly difficult for the producer as New Zealand bears the brunt of warming water temperatures, while offshore sites offer cooler temperatures and better water flow.
The appeals came from the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DoC), which is seeking changes to the conditions imposed by the consent, and environmental think tank McGuinness Institute.
"We expected an appeal from someone because of the nature of the project, and the DoC had indicated they were not happy with the benthic conditions as written by the environmental commissioners," New Zealand King Salmon sustainability and stakeholder Manager Paul McIntyre told IntraFish.
DoC has signalled that it does not oppose granting the consent for the Blue Endeavour application if the changes it requests are made.
It is less clear what the McGuinness Institute wants changed, with the New Zealand Stock Exchange announcement giving no details as to the grounds of the appeal.
But it is not the first time the institute has raised its voice over this or other New Zealand King Salmon projects.
The think tank, through CEO Wendy McGuinness, made several submissions to the Marlborough District Council during the resource consent process for Blue Endeavour. These are documented on the organization's website.
In 2012, a different consent application by New Zealand King Salmon involving changes to a resource management plan and several new farming sites was opposed by McGuinness and her husband Mark personally on the grounds its alleged benefits would be outweighed by harmful effects on the Sounds and New Zealand’s environmental reputation, reports New Zealand newspaper NBR.
Mark McGuinness runs real estate company Willis Bond, and the couple own a waterfront property in the area in which the company wanted to expand.
The New Zealand King Salmon plan was also opposed by the council at the time.
Six years in the making
While it has taken New Zealand King Salmon six years to get approval for production, interim CEO Graeme Tregidga told IntraFish last month that while open-ocean is part of the company’s long-term strategy, the current focus remains on the company’s inshore farming production.
Tregidga said the next step is to study the decision and associated conditions before coming up with an implementation plan and investment options.
New Zealand King Salmon has traditionally farmed salmon year round in the Pelorus and Queen Charlotte Sounds, as well as Tory Channel, in the Marlborough Sounds.
In recent years, however, the company has been looking to offshore opportunities, finding more mortalities at its traditional farming sites and unusually early elevated seawater temperatures.
Blue Endeavour is set to grow 4,000 metric tons of king salmon, about twice the output of the company's largest existing coastal farm.
The decision comes just a couple of week's after the company's CEO of 13 years, Grant Rosewarne, suddenly announced his departure.
New Zealand King Salmon will enter mediation with both DoC and the McGuinness Institute in January.
