Prawn catch puts flesh on $200m hopes

A "promising" catch in the Southern Ocean has raised hopes for a $200 million-a-year prawn industry at Lyttelton.

Vela Fishing's 76m factory trawler, Sea Hunter 1 landed an undisclosed quantity of prawns at the port yesterday.

The company's South Island manager, Chris Ludeke, said the prawns were caught on the Chatham Rise but would not give more precise details of the location for commercial reasons.

When Vela embarked on the prawn venture late last year, Ludeke said he expected prawns to rival New Zealand's most lucrative export fishery, hoki, which brought in $320 million annually.

"We are expecting the whole industry to be worth $200 million and to employ 200 people in the South Island," Ludeke said.

The prawn project is the brainchild of fishing and bloodstock tycoons Philip and Peter Vela.

The businessmen, whose wealth is estimated at more than $50 million, won the 2001 Melbourne Cup with Ethereal, and were said to be contenders to buy the $1.5 billion Central North Island Forestry Partnership, before dropping out of that race in May.

Ministry of Fisheries scientist Jim Cornelius said publicity about Vela's prawn hunt had encouraged other New Zealand fishing companies to apply for experimental prawn fishing permits.

So far four companies had applied for permits and several others were making inquiries, he said.

The ministry had responded by issuing all the interested parties with a list of requirements for obtaining a permit.

Hoki Management Company chief executive George Clement, who is advising Vela on the development of the prawn fishery, said the prawns were not caught in commercial quantities but the find was promising.

"It is too early to say that this prospect is successful but what we can say is that there are prawns there, and now we have to work very carefully and quietly to see if we can make a fishery of it," he said.

The omega prawns caught are one of more than 100 prawn species found in New Zealand waters.

Omega prawns are smaller than the Australian prawns commonly eaten in New Zealand, but are said to have a superior flavour.

Sea Hunter 1 will continue to fish for prawns on its next six-week voyage, which will begin today.

- NZPA