Media Release
Update on the impact of the North Canterbury centred earthquakes
All team members are safe and accounted for. The Queen Charlotte Sound and Tory Channel farms were evacuated due to tsunami warnings. The warnings have been scaled back and team members are now back in hatcheries and will be checking sea farms today.
Harvest operations were cancelled today due to the tsunami warning. We expect to resume harvest operations tomorrow, Tuesday, 15th November 2016.
There is some minor damage and loss of fish at our backup hatchery at Waiau, which was near the epicentre. There has been no damage noted to processing and storage facilities in Nelson, or our two main hatcheries in Tentburn and Takaka. Water flows affected by the earthquake are not expected to cause a significant issue.
Road closures in the South Island, and interislander ferry disruptions are expected to cause some challenges in shipping product to market over the coming days, with minor impact on sales.
Airports are open and we are moving as much salmon by air as possible.
At this point we don’t anticipate any material short or long term impact on our business.
ENDS
About New Zealand King Salmon
New Zealand King Salmon is the world’s largest aquaculture producer of King Salmon, supplying salmon under three key brands: Ōra King, Regal and Southern Ocean.
We own and operate eight seafarms in the Marlborough Sounds, harvesting and processing more than 6,000 MT of King salmon a year. Three new sea farms consented in 2014 are expected to enable the company to approximately double annual production over time. NZ King Salmon controls all elements of the value chain from breeding and growing to harvesting and processing, and we have been selling salmon to consumers and chefs for more than 30 years.
The New Zealand salmon farming industry has been recognised as a global leader in sustainable seafood following New Zealand’s ‘Best Choice’ accreditation in 2015 in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s globally respected consumer guide Seafood Watch.
NZ King Salmon listed on the New Zealand and Australian Stock Exchanges in October 2016.
Issued on behalf of New Zealand King Salmon by Pead PR
Contact information:
Grant Rosewarne, CEO, Mob: 027 246 0980, email: grant.rosewarne@kingsalmon.xyzkingsalmon.co.nz
Sarah Munnik, Pead PR, Tel: 09 918 5544, Mob: 022 682 8090, email: sarahm@kingsalmon.xyzpeadpr.co.nz