Commercial
Aquaculture
Land-based Aquaculture
Fees and Levies
Skip Navigation LinksHome > Commercial > Aquaculture > Land-based Aquaculture

Land-based Aquaculture

The Ministry manages land-based farming under the provisions of the Freshwater Fish Farming Regulations 1983. The regulations cover both freshwater and marine species farmed on land. The species must be one that is approved for farming under these regulations. Under these regulations, you need to hold a fish-farm licence to farm an aquatic species for sale.

When you apply for a fish-farm licence, you will need to provide:

  • Any resource consents required to take and/or discharge water from the fish farm. If they are not necessary, include a letter from the council advising that such consents are not needed.
  • Any other resource consent required to establish the fish farm.
  • Evidence you have the right to use the land for your fish-farming licence (e.g. a copy of the lease agreement or ownership papers etc.).
  • A fully completed application form and a client application form (unless you are already a client).

Applications can also be made to vary an existing licence (usually to add more species to the schedule of species that may be farmed), renew or transfer a licence or cancel the licence. You can seek information on what is required for making these applications from the Nelson or Auckland offices of the Ministry of Fisheries (refer Contacts below).

Fees and levies

The relevant fee must accompany an application. The fee is related to the amount of time taken to process an application. In addition, annual levies are payable to cover administration and compliance costs - these can vary from year to year. 

Schedule of Fees and Levies

Gazette list of fish species that can be farmed

The following is a list of fish that can be farmed under the Freshwater Fish Farming Regulations 1983. These were gazetted in July 2006.


(1.1) Abalone or paua, being:

(1.28) Parore (Girella tricuspidata)

(i) Ordinary paua (Haliotis iris)

(1.29) Perch (Perca fluviatilis)

(ii) Virgin paua (Haliotis virginea)

(1.30) Pipi (Paphies australis)

(iii) Yellow-foot paua (Haliotis australis)

(1.31) Red gurnard (Chelidonichthys kumu)

(1.2) Anemone, being:

(1.32) Rock shrimp (Palaemon affinis)

(i) Common anemone (Actinothoe albocinta)

(1.33) Salmon, being:

(ii) Dahlia anemone (Isocradactis magna)

(i) Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

(1.3) Bass (Polyprion moeone)

(ii) Chinook or quinnat salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

(1.4) Blue cod (Parapercis colias)

(iii) Sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka)

(1.5) Brine shrimp (Artemia salina)

(1.34) Scallops (Pecten novaezelandiae)

(1.6) Butterfish (Odax pullus)

(1.35) Scampi (Metanephrops challengeri)

(1.7) Carp, being:

(1.36) Sea cucumber (Stichopus mollis)

(i) Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

(1.37) Seahorse, being:

(ii) Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix)

(i) Seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis)

(1.8) Cat's eye (Turbo smaragdus)

(ii) Spotted seahorse (Hippocampus kuda)

(1.9) Crab, being:

(1.38) Sea urchin (Evechinus chloroticus)

(i) Cancer crab (Cancer novaezelandiae)

(1.39) Seaweed, being:

(ii) Giant spider crab (Jacuinotia edwardsii)

(i) Agar weed (Pterocladia lucida)

(iii) King crab (Lithodes murrayi)

(ii) Gigartina (Gigartina atropurpurea and Gigartina circumcincta)

(iv) Paddle crab (Ovalipes catharus)

(iii) Gracilaria (Gracilaria chilensis)

(v) Red crab (Chaeceon bicolour)

(iv) Small agar weed (Pterocladia capillacea)

(1.10) Coarse dosina (Dosina zelandica)

(1.40) Snapper (Pagrus auratus)

(1.11) Cockle (Austrovenus stutchburyi)

(1.41) Sponge, being:

(1.12) Cooks turban (Cookia sulcata)

(i) Bath sponge (Spongia manipulatus)

(1.13) Eel, being:

(ii) Finger sponge (Callyspongia ramosa)

(i) Longfin eel (Anguilla dieffenbachii)

(iii) Grey sponge (Ircinia sp.)

(ii) Shortfin eel (Anguilla australis)

(iv) Latrunculia sp.

(1.14) Flounder, being:

(v) Lissodendoryx sp.

(i) Black flounder (Rhombosolea retiaria)

(vi) Mycale sp.

(ii) Brill (Colistium guntheri)

(vii) Pink conular sponge (Chondropsis kirkii)

(iii) Greenback flounder (Rhombosolea tapirina)

(viii) Raspailia agminata

(iv) Sand flounder (Rhombosolea plebeia)

(ix) Red flabby sponge (Crella encrustans)

(v) Turbot (Colistium nudipinnus)

(1.42) Striped trumpeter (Latris lineate)

(vi) Yellowbelly flounder (Rhombosolea leporina)

(1.43) Surf clam, being:

(1.15) Freshwater crayfish or koura, being:

(i) Deep water tuatua (Paphies donacina)

(i) Paranephrops planifrons

(ii) Fine dosinia (Dosinia subrosea)

(ii) Paranephrops zealandicus

(iii) Frilly venus shell (Bassina yatei)

(1.16) Grey mullet (Mugil cephalus)

(iv) Large trough shell (Mactra murchisoni)

(1.17) Hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios)

(v) Ringed dosinia (Dosinia anus)

(1.18) John dory (Zeus faber)

(vi) Silky dosinia (Dosinia lambata)

(1.19) Kahawai (Arripis trutta)

(vii) Small trough shell (Mactra discors)

(1.20) King clam or geoduck (Panopea zelandica)

(viii) Triangle trough shell (Spisula aequilateralis)

(1.21) Koheru (Decapterus koheru)

(ix) Tuatua (Paphies subtriangulata)

(1.22) Leatherjacket (Parika scaber)

(1.44) Tarakihi (Nemadactylus macropterus)

(1.23) Lobster, being:

(1.45) Toheroa (Paphies ventricosa)

(i) Packhorse or green lobster (Jasus verreauxi)

(1.46) Trevally (Pseudocaranx dentex)

(ii) Spiny or red rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii)

(1.47) Tropical freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

(1.24) Mussel, being:

(1.48) Tuna, being:

(i) Blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

(i) Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus)

(ii) Freshwater mussel (Hyridella menziesii and Cucumerunio websteri)

(ii) Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)

(iii) Green lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus)

(1.49) Venus clam (Ruditapes largillierti)

(iv) Horse mussel (Atrina zelandica)

(1.50) Watercress, being:

(1.25) Octopus, being:

(i) Nasturtium microphyllium

(i) Octopus huttoni

(ii) Nasturtium officinale

(ii) Pinnoctopus cordiformis

(1.51) Whitebait, being:

(1.26) Mysid shrimp, being:

(i) Banded kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus)

(i) Mysidopsis sp.

(ii) Giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus)

(ii) Tenagomysis nova-zealandiae

(iii) Inanga (Galaxias maculatus)

(iii) Tenagomysis similes

(iv) Koaro (Galaxias brevipinnis)

(1.27) Oyster, being:

(v) Shortjaw kokopu (Galaxias postvectis)

(i) Dredge oyster (Tiostrea chilensis)

(1.52) Yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) 

(ii) Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

 

 

Broodstock

Once a fish farm licence has been issued it will be necessary to obtain broodstock to stock the farm. It is not possible to take aquatic life from natural waters (the sea, lakes rivers etc) to use as stock on a fish farm unless it is from one of the following sources: another land-based fish farm, a marine farm, or a licensed fish receiver. Before transferring broodstock to the farm approval from the Ministry of Fisheries is required.

Transfers of aquatic life

Approval is also required to transfer aquatic life from one fish farm to another or before releasing into the wild. It is necessary to apply to the Ministry for approval to transfer any stock on or off a fish farm.

Future reforms in land-based aquaculture

The Government intends to revoke the Freshwater Fish Farming Regulations in the near future and existing holders of fish-farm licences will automatically become registered fish farmers in the same manner as fish farmers operating marine farms. If you plan to establish a land-based fish farm, you should talk to Fisheries staff regarding developments in this area.

Contacts

For further information about land-based fish farming you should contact either, Katrina Bonnington at the Ministry of Fisheries, Nelson, Private Bag 14 Nelson, phone (03) 545 8791, or Steve Pullan at the Ministry of Fisheries, Auckland, Post Office Box 19747 Auckland, phone (09) 820 7691.

Previous | Next
Updated : 16 November 2007






Carp farm.