Great kai grown at koura farm

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

Owner-operators and keen crayfish farmers Vince Scully and Mary Shanahan were thrilled to see more than 130 people visit their Mill Rd farm and were more than happy to show them 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 the security of a healthy protein source as they are forced to phase out their economic dependence on oil.

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

Visitors to the farm were given a tour that took in every step of the koura nurturing process, from nursery ponds housing tiny specimens through to purging tanks which held fully-grown koura. Mr Scully explained that for the restaurant market it is considered desirable to sell koura with a clean gut line, which is why his are held in the purging tanks for two days before being sold.

Market-size koura are 50g, which can take three years to achieve, making the process fairly time-consuming. However, Mr Scully and Ms Shanahan are working on cutting this back to two years.

Described as tasting like a "succulent prawn", freshwater crayfish is becoming increasingly popular around New Zealand and is 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 looking to the future and hoping to breed and sell their koura successfully as well as spreading 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.

- The Marlborough Express

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