A need to re-think equipment for open ocean farming

The scale of damage done to Tasman Bay mussel farms in the July storm is causing one major company to say there needs to be a re-think of whether technology and equipment designed for sheltered waters can cope with such events in more open seas.

MacLab’s GM Aquaculture Scott Gillanders wasn’t too worried when the July 18 storm hit. MacLab’s 277ha farm off Motueka had come through the 4m swells of Cyclone Gita in February 2018 without much damage.