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Shifting post production patterns: exploring changes in New Zealand's seafood processing industry.
Christina Stringer1, Glenn Simmons, Eugene Rees
1The University of Auckland.
New Zealand Geographer
|January 19, 2012
Summary
New Zealand seafood companies increasingly outsource post-harvest fish processing to China. This globalized approach is driven by cost, quota, and vessel sale factors.
Area of Science:
- Fisheries Management
- Global Supply Chains
- Seafood Production
Background:
- Examines the evolution of seafood production practices in New Zealand over the past 15 years.
- Highlights the growing trend of offshore outsourcing for post-harvest fish processing.
- Situates this shift within the context of an increasingly globalized fisheries value chain.
Observation:
- Seafood is primarily head and gutted, then frozen in New Zealand.
- Fish is transported to China for thawing, value-added processing, and refreezing.
- Processed fish is exported back to New Zealand or to third-country markets.
Findings:
- Offshore outsourcing of post-harvest processing has gained significant momentum.
- Key industry drivers include quota reductions, rising production costs, and trawler sales.
- This represents a strategic adaptation to economic and regulatory pressures.
Implications:
- Suggests a significant transformation in the structure of the seafood industry.
- Indicates potential impacts on domestic processing capabilities and employment.
- Underscores the complex interdependencies within international seafood trade.
