The Fisheries New Zealand Seafood Sustainability Awards were last held in 2020 because of Covid disruptions and it is great to see them back to celebrate outstanding contributions to sustainability and innovation in the industry.
The finalists this year have now been announced and it is great to see so many of the people in the industry that are dedicated to a sustainable future recognised.
Inside the sector, we see innovation and the determination to have ever more sustainable results constantly, and it is heartening to see some of these companies and people honoured in these awards.
In the Operational Innovator Award, the finalists are Premium Seas, S&S Floats, and Domjan Talijancich. Premium Seas is a seaweed innovator headed by Lucas Evans, who is a passionate advocate for the seaweed sector. S&S (Solly & Smith) Floats are aquaculture float specialists whose products have been successfully used in open water mussel farming in Golden Bay, Coromandel, Akaroa, and Tasman Bay. And Domjan Talijancich is a Nelson fisherman who thrives on new technology and innovation. Dom has developed net technology that can identify species from the wheelhouse as they're caught.
The Market Innovator Award finalists are Tora Collective, an artisan seafood company that thrives on sustainability from the South Wairarapa Coast. NewFish is cultivating and processing microalgae for human and sports nutrition and is focused on future-friendly value-added products. Lucas Evans of Premium Seas is also a finalist in this category.
It is great to see Scott and Sue Tindale of the Tindale Marine Charitable Trust as a finalist in the Ocean Guardian category as well as Dr Keith Michael of NIWA, and the developer of the Fishing Rules app, Adam Hutchinson.
Congratulations to the three finalists in the Tangata Kaitiaki category, Ngaa Hapuu o Te Uru o Tainui Iwi Fisheries Forum, Mai-Paritu-tae-atu-ki-Turakirae Fisheries Forum, and Mai i Ngā Kuri a Whārei ki Tihirau Fisheries Forum.
And in the Future Leader category, the finalists are Troy Bramley and Claire Edwards of Tora Collective, Ben Pierce of Sanford and founder of the Young Fish Network, and Sarah Bynevelt, also of Sanford.
A lot of passion, innovation, and sheer hard work goes into the continued effort to make the seafood industry ever more sustainable and we congratulate all the finalists.
This is work that they do voluntarily because they believe in the future of the industry and should be celebrated.
Award winners for these categories, as well as the winner of the Supreme Sustainability Award and the Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Award, will be announced at the awards ceremony being held at Parliament on 6 June.
