Northland fish farm areas narrowed

Oyster farming appears to be the big winner in a marine farming proposal in Northland.

The Northland Regional Council has narrowed the number of areas identified as suitable as aquaculture management areas from 125 to 19.

The council suffered a storm of protest from Northland residents who did not want marine farms when it identified the 125 potential areas.

Eight of the 19 sites now under consideration are zoned intertidal and suitable for oyster farming only. Six sites are zoned for spat catching and two are suitable for finfish farming of species such as snapper and kingfish.

The three remaining sites are considered suitable for longline farming of other varieties of shellfish.