ATTENTION : Please come and see Against the Current _ A film by Laura Honey
Monday January 21: A documentary about King Salmon’s plan to build more fish farms in the Marlborough Sounds is screening in Havelock and Picton.
Havelock: 5pm, Pelorus Boating Club
(next to Slip Inn car park).
Picton: 7.30pm Picton Little Theatre, 9 Dublin Street.
$10 ticket entry as fundraiser for SOS
www.againstthecurrentfilm.co.nz
Spread the word, check out and share the facebook page
READ THE LATEST – SOS OPINION ABOUT KING SHAGS
Draft Decision Released
The Environmental Protection Authority has now received the draft decision from the Board of Inquiry. For more information and details go to latest at the EPA website.
Four out of the nine proposed farms have been granted. Being: Papatua (Port Gore), Waitata and Richmond (Waitata Reach) and Ngamahau (Tory Channel). We are in the process of writing a press release and response to this decision on behalf of Sustain Our Sounds, it will be posted here shortly.
In summary the Board of Inquiry has: 
a. Allowed the plan change request and concurrent applications for resource consent for four sites – being Papatua, Ngamahau, Waitata and Richmond.
b. Declined the plan change request and concurrent applications for resource consent for four sites – being the Kaitapeha, Ruaomoko, Kaitira and Tapipi farms.
c. Declined the resource consent application for the White Horse Rock farm
The resource consents for the four sites that have been approved have been granted for a 35 year term. The draft report and decision is now open for comment by relevant parties only. They can make comment on minor and technical aspects of the report only, not on the Board of Inquiry’s decision or its reasons for that decision.
Comments will be received from these parties by the EPA in writing until 5pm on 8 February 2013, after which the Board will consider the comments and provide its final report and decision on or before 22 February 2013.
Counting down until the final decision to be released…
Still available! Donate over $25 and receive a free copy of Danny Boulton’s 36-page booklet featuring the stunning photographs taken on the recent diving trips and more. This was presented along with the other Sustain Our Sound’s evidence, and is a limited edition. Perfect for on the coffee table or on the boat to show visitors the underwater life of the Marlborough Sounds.
Be in quick! Order here
We urge you to take a look for yourself and see the facts and evidence that has been thoroughly researched by our expert witnesses and made available to you. Or see other evidence submitted to the EPA here.
View Sustain Our Sounds’ Evidence submitted to the EPA hearing >>>
Submissions are available to view on the EPA website
“We have one of the most remarkable countries in the world, abundant with nature’s bounty and we must be careful to use that wealth responsibly and on behalf of generations still to come.”
Amy Adams, Environment Minister Read more
Sustain Our Sounds (SOS) is an incorporated society set up by people who use and love the Marlborough Sounds and want to protect this special part of New Zealand for future generations.
We have formed SOS to oppose the further expansion of aquaculture in the Marlborough Sounds. NZ King Salmon has applied for eight more salmon farms, all in scenic areas where marine farming is currently prohibited.
SOS supporters include residents, fishermen, tourism operators, bach owners, kayakers, walkers and boaties. We believe salmon farming on this scale will pollute the clean waters of the Marlborough Sounds, damage fish habitat and affect public enjoyment of this unique landscape. It will impact on our tourism industry and clean, green image.
Manaaki whenua, manaaki tangata, haere whakamua. [Protect the land and the people, and go forward.]
SOS opposes recreational areas in the Marlborough Sounds being cordoned off for private profit. NZ King Salmon is a Malaysian-owned company and the New Zealand Government has brought in legislation and a fast-track planning process to make it easier for overseas companies like this to use our waters for aquaculture.
This is a big battle for a community group like us. Please join SOS, support and donate so we can put up a strong legal case to protect the Marlborough Sounds.
Sustain Our Sounds: Vision and Objectives
pdf (34.0 KB)
The Sounds are for everyone: SOS believes there is room for everyone in the Marlborough Sounds, as long as the different activities are managed and kept in balance with the natural environment. King Salmon’s proposal to farm in prohibited zones is going too far. Read more
- Fast-track planning process: King Salmon has applied to the Government’s Environmental Protection Authority for a Plan Change to get special permission to set up marine farms in prohibited zones. This is an attempt to over-ride planning rules that were consulted and agreed to by the people of Marlborough and the Marlborough District Council. Read more
- Effect on the environment: Marine farms pollute the surrounding water with fish waste (faeces) and uneaten food pellets which include poultry, sheep and cattle products. This waste smothers life on the seafloor. The extra nutrients from fish waste may also increase the risk of poisonous algal bloom. Read more
Foreign ownership: NZ King Salmon is majority owned by the Tiong company of Malaysia. They do not pay anything to occupy the waters of the Marlborough Sounds. If this application is granted more public space will be locked up for private profit that goes overseas. Read more
SOS is a voluntary charity and needs your financial support Please Donate
