Open day thrills koura farmers

Kaikoura's first freshwater crayfish farm, Waikoura Springs, opened on Sunday with a flurry of enthusiasm from locals keen to have a look round and a taste of the delicacy.

Owner operators and keen "astacologists", or crayfish farmers, Vince Scully and Mary Shanahan were thrilled to see more than 130 people through the doors of their Mill Rd farm and more than happy to show them around with a guided tour of the processes involved in the venture.

Mr Scully, who works in the oil industry as a ship's officer, is a firm believer that each community in the world needs food security of healthy protein, as we are forced to learn to phase out our dependence on the precious commodity that is oil.

This is one of the reasons why he and his partner, Mary, have been steadfast in their efforts to promote fresh water aquaculture, which they manage on their property in earthen ponds.

Visitors to the farm on Sunday were given a tour which took in every step of the koura nurturing process, from nursery ponds housing tiny specimens right through to purging tanks which held fully-grown koura.

Mr Scully explained that for the restaurant market it is desirable to sell koura with a clean gut line which is why he holds theme in the purging tanks for two days before sale.

Market size koura are 50g which can take three years to achieve, making the process a fairly time-consuming one, however Mr Scully and Ms Shanahan are working on cutting this back to two years in order to become more efficient.

Described as tasting like a "succulent prawn", freshwater crayfish is becoming increasingly popular around New Zealand but is also considered a delicacy in many overseas countries.

In Scandinavia koura is traditionally eaten to celebrate the summer solstice, and cajun crayfish has also long been a favourite in many parts of the world.

Mr Scully and Ms Shanahan began the long road to establishing their business six years ago, following a dream of the late Peter Johnson, a deep-sea diver from Kaikoura who began the process of developing the koura farm.

They have finally achieved what they set out to do and are now hoping to breed and sell their koura as well as spread the word to others interested in the industry.

Another Kaikoura couple, neighbours KD and Max Scattergood, have also begun a koura farm and are working with Mr Scully and Ms Shanahan, sharing information and ideas and purchasing broodstock.

The aquaculture business is dependent on a mutual respect of the common resource of water and Mr Scully says things are looking up, with Lyell Creek, which runs through their property, having run clear for the past six months which he hopes is a sign of progress.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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