The project, known as ‘Higher Value Seafoods’, has received $6 million in funding over five years from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.

Leading the project is Crop & Food Research scientist Alistair Jerrett and his team of physiologists in fish, shellfish and crayfish, based at Nelson.

“This project is focussed on increasing the value of each fish that we harvest, each squid and each lobster,” says Mr Jerrett.

“I think one of the key reasons we attracted this funding is because we have done a substantial amount of work already to prove that by better understanding the biological workings of our key fish species, we are able to lay the foundation for inventing new ways to handle, transport and package them after harvest.”
Within the New Zealand seafood industry, seafood operators are already referring to information sheets and ‘how-to’ guides developed by Mr Jerrett’s team, which are helping to ensure that the harvest gets to market in the best possible condition. These include guides on appropriate cooling regimes and the implications of rigor mortis.

Mr Jerrett says the new project will build on this knowledge and will recruit two new PhD students.
“Over the past 15 years, we have built a world-class facility and skills base to support physiological, biochemical and postharvest research aligned with the needs of New Zealand’s seafood industry. We are the only postharvest team of significant size outside Scandinavia and Japan.

“The underlying challenge addressed by this programme is the development of industrial tissue preservation technologies capable of stabilising, preserving and augmenting the properties of living tissue found in our seafood at the point of harvest,” says Mr Jerrett.

“We envisage products that retain and enhance the eye-catching colours, iridescences, flavours, textures – in other words the ultimate value of our favourite fish species.”

Mr Jerrett says he is pleased to see such strong industry and Government support for the project. He says his team already spends a lot of time interacting with fishers, technical managers and factory staff to ensure that their science is relevant.

As part of the Higher Value Seafoods project, an industry advisory group is being formed to assist with planning and strategic direction. The scientific team will formally report to the advisory group on a quarterly basis and hold workshops and presentations to ensure the transfer of new knowledge.

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