From sea to land: The kingfish farm of the future

For over 20 years NIWA scientists have been researching the feasibility of growing fish on land - now they believe it's ready for commercial uptake.In the heart of New Zealand's Northland region, a team of scientists and aquaculturists are cultivating kingfish like never before. At NIWA's Northland Marine Research Centre (NMRC) in Ruakaka, a small-scale operation serves as a testing ground, but it's only a glimpse of what's to come. This project isn't just about fish; it's about sustainability, technology, and changing the way we think about aquaculture.The goal is clear: to prove that farming kingfish in tanks on a commercial scale is not only technically feasible but economically viable. Tour the on-land kingfish farm with Country LifeThe journey to this point has been a fusion of scientific discovery and practical application. NIWA established the research centre in 2002, with a primary focus on exploring the potential of aquaculture for high-value species like kingfish.For 18 years, Andrew Forsythe has been part of the programme acting as the chief aquaculture scientist. He explains: "Control is everything. Any farmer will tell you if they can irrigate, and manage the soil moisture and nutrients optimally, they get better performance."The same thing with fish."Managing the environment optimally is key to achieving the best results and avoiding pathogens and parasites."Forsythe says for most of the past two decades, NIWA's scientists have been working on two species of yellowtail kingfish and hāpuku. At some stage kingfish became the centre of operations."Now we are in a position where we got the yellowtail kingfish - all the breeding, the nutrition, the growing, the rearing systems - to a point where we feel it's truly ready to commercialise properly."Land-based production brings a lot of benefits and it gives you total control of the environment. Because this is a warm-water fish, if you put it in a land-based system, and the temperature rises through the activities of the fish or the activity of the system, the fish grow faster, they grow better."Recirculating aquaculture systems resemble gigantic aquariums. What sets them apart is their ability to reuse and treat between 95 percent and 99 percent of the water in the system. And recycling doesn't stop there. The pipes used to bring in the water were once used for the Marsden Power Station in which the research centre now sits. …Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details