The Oyster Industry
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A Study of the New Zealand Farmed Oyster Industry and the Potential for Sustainable Maori Economic Development Part 1: Industry Analysis Brenda Hay & Val Lindsay Sustainable Mäori Development in Taitokerau A Study of the New Zealand Farmed Oyster Industry and the Potential for Sustainable Maori Economic Development Part 1: Industry Analysis Brenda Hay and Val Lindsay Prepared for: The James Henare Mäori Research Centre The University of Auckland Private Bag 92-019 AUCKLAND Phone: 09 3737-599 x 85085 Fax: 09 3737-458 E-mail: [email protected] This document may be copied and distributed on a non-commercial basis for educational purposes. © James Henare Mäori Research Centre 2003 The research to which this paper contributes is part of a programme funded from the Public Good Science Fund by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, Wellington, New Zealand. A Study of the New Zealand Farmed Oyster Industry and the Potential for Sustainable Maori Economic Development Part 1: Industry Analysis A report prepared on behalf of the James Henare Maori Research Centre by: Brenda Hay AquaBio Consultants Ltd P.O. Box 560 Shortland St. P.O. Auckland Email: [email protected] & Associate Professor Val Lindsay School of Marketing and International Business Victoria University of Wellington P.O. Box 600 Wellington Email: [email protected] April 2004 James Henare Maori Research Centre University of Auckland Private Bag 92019 Auckland Table of Contents Page No. SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION 1 SECTION 2 BACKGROUND 2 2.1 Introduction 2 2.2 Rock Oyster Biology 2 2.3 History of the New Zealand Rock Oyster Industry 3 2.4 Farming and Processing Technology 4 SECTION 3 STRUCTURE OF THE OYSTER INDUSTRY 6 3.1 Participants in the Oyster Industry 6 3.2 Products and Markets 8 3.3 Production 10 3.4 Competitive Forces within the Oyster Industry 11 3.4.1 Introduction 11 3.4.2 Competitive Forces within the Oyster Farming Industry11 3.4.3 Competitive Forces within the Oyster Processing Industry 17 3.4.4 Competitive Forces – Conclusion 21 3.5 Factors Impacting on International Competitiveness 21 SECTION 4 RISKS AND REWARDS 28 SECTION 5 KEY SUCCESS FACTORS 30 SECTION 6 DISCUSSION 31 SECTION 7 CONCLUSION 35 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 35 REFERENCES 36 List of Figures Page No. Figure 1 Photograph of an inter-tidal oyster farm 4 Figure 2 Participants in the oyster industry 7 Figure 3 New Zealand export sales by volume of Pacific oysters by country in 2001. 8 Figure 4 Diagram of the five competitive forces that impact on industry profitability 11 Figure 5 Porter’s ‘Diamond’ model, showing the determinants of competitive advantage 21 List of Tables Table 1 Percentage of total export sales to Australia and Japan by volume, and by value, from 1997-2001 9 Table 2 Mix of Pacific oyster product types exported from New Zealand in 2001 9 Table 3 Comparison of the process of aquaculture law reform in New Zealand and South Australia 27 SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION A number of marine-based development opportunities that rely on the presence of suitable natural resources have been identified in our study of the potential for sustainable Maori economic development in Tai Tokerau (Hay & Grant, 2003). One of these is the farming of Pacific oysters (a species of rock oyster, with the scientific name of Crassostrea gigas). More recent reviews of the potential for aquaculture in Northland undertaken for Enterprise Northland by Jeffs (2003a) also identified the expansion of the oyster farming industry as having potential to contribute to economic development in the area. Further analysis of the aquaculture potential of Pacific oysters was undertaken by Handley & Jeffs (2003). These reports all examine the potential for the expansion of the oyster industry in Tai Tokerau largely from a technical perspective (e.g. suitable areas for oyster production, production methods etc). However, for enterprises considering investment in the oyster industry, the commercial aspects of the industry are equally important. The way in which an industry is structured, and the industry dynamics determine the level of risk and the ease with which investment in an industry is rewarded. Maori in Tai Tokerau have traditionally had very close links to the marine environment, and there is a high level of interest in exploring the potential for sustainable economic development of marine resources. Maori are already very significant participants in the Pacific oyster industry through a large oyster farming/processing business owned by Te Ohu Kai Moana, and several iwi and whanau-based businesses. The opportunities to expand this involvement include further development of existing oyster farming areas, and development of new areas. To date there has been a lack of readily available information about the oyster industry in New Zealand from a business perspective. This means that businesses entering the industry have difficulty in planning appropriate business strategies. The following report complements previous reports in providing an analysis of the oyster industry with a focus on business issues of relevance to enterprises considering investment in the oyster industry in Tai Tokerau. Its purpose is to provide an introductory information resource that may be of use as a starting point in the preparation of strategic business plans. The information for this report has been gathered through interviews and discussion with oyster farmers and oyster processors, and literature reviews of published data. In addition, one of the authors (Brenda Hay) has a long association with the oyster industry, and her observations and discussion with numerous farmers over many years were also a source of background information. 1 SECTION 2: BACKGROUND 2.1 Introduction This section provides the background information necessary for readers to understand the industry analysis that follows. It includes brief sections on both rock oyster biology, and the history of the rock oyster industry in New Zealand. Although it is perhaps an unusual topic for an industry analysis, some knowledge of the biology of oysters is helpful in understanding the dynamics of the industry. As the current structure of the industry is a product of its history, this has also been included as background information. 2.2 Rock Oyster Biology Rock oysters are bivalve molluscs that live in the sea. In their natural environment they live in sheltered areas in the inter-tidal zone. The inter-tidal zone is the area of seashore between the low tide mark and high tide mark. Rock oysters live permanently attached to hard surfaces such as rocks or the trunks of mangroves. There are two kinds of rock oysters in New Zealand: the native New Zealand rock oyster, Saccostrea commercialis, and the introduced Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. Both have similar biology and life histories. Oysters feed on phytoplankton (tiny single-celled plants) that they filter out of the seawater in which they live. Phytoplankton grows well in water that is nutrient-rich, such as water that receives nitrogen and phosphates from land runoff. Thus while it is necessary to site oyster farms in areas of high phytoplankton productivity, farmers do not need to artificially feed their oysters. This greatly simplifies their aquaculture. However, as part of their feeding process, oysters coincidentally concentrate bacteria, viruses, heavy metals and phytoplankton containing biotoxins, out of the seawater in which they live. Human consumption of oysters contaminated through this process has public health implications (i.e. people eating contaminated oysters can get sick). Oysters breed seasonally, in summer. They are broad-cast spawners, that is, they release large numbers of eggs and sperm into the sea. Fertilisation of the eggs, and subsequent development of tiny free-swimming larvae, occurs in the sea. As they grow in size, the larvae remain floating in the sea for about three weeks. At the end of this time, they find a suitable surface to settle on, stick themselves to it, and undergo metamorphosis (change their body shape) into tiny oysters. These just-settled oysters are called spat. Attachment of oysters to a surface is permanent. If for any reason spat or adult oysters become detached from their settlement substrate, they are unable to re-attach themselves. Such oysters are known within the oyster industry as “single” or “cultchless” oysters. The shell shape of oysters is influenced by the environment in which they grow. Oysters that are very closely crowded together on the same settlement surface tend to grow upwards from the surface in order to access water bringing food and oxygen. Their shells are thus stretched out into a long, narrow shape. In contrast, oysters that are widely spaced have a greater proportion of their bottom shell growing along the 2 settlement surface, and grow with a more rounded, cupped shell shape. This characteristic has implications for management of shell shape of farmed oysters. Shell shape is one of the factors considered in the assessment of oyster quality. Rock oyster growth is relatively rapid, with the native rock oyster attaining market size in three years, and the Pacific oyster within twelve to twenty months. The gonadal cycle (spawning cycle) of the adult oysters affects their market attractiveness. Immediately after spawning in summer, oysters are extremely thin, and almost translucent in colour. At this time, their condition is too poor to be readily marketable. Their condition improves through winter as they fatten up by storing carbohydrates in the form of glycogen. The fat, firm flesh of oysters in late winter through to spring is most favoured by the market. In early summer, the glycogen is utilised in the development of eggs and sperm, and the oysters become very fat, with a more milky texture. While oysters in this condition are acceptable to the New Zealand market, this stage is less favoured in some export markets.