On 22 February 2013, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) published the Board of Inquiry’s final report and decision on New Zealand King Salmon’s (NZKS) application to establish nine new salmon farms in the Marlborough Sounds. The Board approved four of the nine farms, with conditions. This means up to 19,000 tonnes per annum of additional salmon feed can now be discharged into the Sounds.
Water quality and indeed the whole issue of water pollution and its effects are a very ‘live’ issue in New Zealand at the moment. Cleaning up water is a very expensive proposition. $450 million has been committed to cleaning up Lake Taupo, the Rotorua lakes and the Waikato River over 20 years. How much, then, would be needed to clean up the Marlborough Sounds, if such a clean-up was required? Are we well placed today to assess the benefits, costs and risks of the NZKS proposal in terms of any unwelcome consequences in the future?
You can download a pdf of Think Piece 16, New Zealand King Salmon: Was it a good decision for New Zealand? from the McGuinness Institute Website.
