The New Zealand Seafood Industry Council on Wednesday announced that it appointed Peter Bodeker as CEO.
Currently, Bodeker is the CEO of the Wood Processors Association. He will be responsible for ensuring that the seafood industry has the right structures and policies in place to fully realize its economic potential, according to the council. He will also build on initiatives already in place to enable the industry to continue to work collaboratively with government in maintaining sustainable utilization of New Zealand’s seafood resources.
“We are very pleased to welcome Peter on board. He has a wealth of experience in the primary production sector and this will add a lot of value to his new role in the seafood industry,” said Dave Sharp, chairman of the council’s board.
In addition, the New Zealand government announced late last week that it will contribute NZD 1.69 million (USD 1.2 million, EUR 899,000) to develop a seafood and aquaculture research facility, with the goal of increasing the economic benefits of the industry.
The facility, owned by the Cawthron Institute, includes a partnership with the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, industry (including a consortium of shellfish companies) and other research organizations.
The center will provide the opportunity for aquaculture companies to take a product or technique from research to pilot-scale commercial production on the site.
“The aquaculture sector has considerable potential for economic growth. The industry goal is to grow sector sales to NZD 1 billion by 2025,” said Gerry Brownlee, New Zealand’s economic development minister. “This funding, along with other initiatives such as upcoming legislative reforms, is part of the government’s commitment to that goal.”
“One of the key economic issues facing New Zealand in many sectors is the need to develop new, higher value products. This facility will help the aquaculture sector investigate and pilot high-value species and products, including enabling spat to be artificially grown onshore in commercial quantity, reducing the industry’s reliance on limited wild stocks,” he added.
