According to the Ministry of Fisheries it has approved the 1,783 hectare Wilson’s Bay Aquaculture Management Area (AMA) in the Firth of Thames. Of this area, 520 hectares has been zoned for shellfish farming, with the remainder being access-ways between marine farm blocks. Ministry of Fisheries Aquaculture Manager Dan Lees told that it is going to be carefully considers whether the AMA would unduly affect fishing or the sustainability of the area’s fisheries.
Lees said that the AMA will have some effects on commercial set net fishing, but I’m satisfied the farm will not have an ‘undue’ adverse effect. He added that the Ministry made a preliminary decision in April this year, everyone got to see what we were thinking and they were able to provide any extra information they wanted to have considered.
There is no reason to change the preliminary decision and the Fiona approval has been given to the Ministry of Fisheries for the marine farming space to go ahead. Before the marine farming start the Regional Council must identify 20 percent of the aquaculture space for allocation to iwi and process resource consents for underlying applicants for the remainder of the available space.
