The new Precision Seafood Harvesting fishing technology being developed in New Zealand has been announced as a finalist in Seaweb’s Seafood Champion Awards at Seafood Expo Asia in Hong Kong.
The Seafood Champion Awards annually recognise individuals and companies for outstanding leadership in promoting environmentally responsible seafood. PSH is a finalist in the Innovation category, which recognises efforts in advancing sustainability within the global seafood sector to effectively design products and processes with sustainability as a driving force.
Precision Seafood Harvesting is one of 16 finalists selected from 90 nominees by an independent panel of six seafood sustainability experts from industry, nonprofit and academia, across Europe, North America, and Asia.
PSH is a revolutionary fishing technology that does away with traditional trawl nets to allow fish to be landed on boats alive and in perfect condition, while safely releasing undersized fish.
The design of the harvesting system allows fishing vessels to target specific species and fish size and greatly increases protection for small fish that can swim free through ‘escape portals’ unharmed.
Aotearoa Fisheries, Sanford and Sealord are investing $24 million into the programme under a Primary Growth Partnership programme with the Ministry for Primary Industries, which is matching the industry investment dollar for dollar.
The first set of results from two years of testing on the Precision Seafood Harvesting method published earlier this year, show survival rates for fish are better than expected.
As well as taking better care of the fish, this new fishing method also opens up new potential markets and opportunities for better quality fish being delivered to consumers.
The 2016 Seafood Champions Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony on the first day of the SeaWeb Seafood Summit, to be held 1-3 February 2016 in St. Julian’s, Malta.
