Fishing firms integrated

Press, 30 April 1981, Page 19

Fishing firms integrated

Russian deep sea trawling expertise may enable Dunedin-based Wrightson Fisheries to significantly boost export sales and processing revenue in its new financial year. The managing director of Fletcher Fishing, Ltd, (Mr E. V. Henry) said this today when he announced the completion of the integration of Wrightson Fisheries into his company. The integration into Fletcher Fishing comes after the merging late.last year of all the interests of Fletcher, Challenge, and Tasman Pulp and Paper organisations to form Fletcher Challenge, Ltd, New Zeland’s biggest and most diverse company. Mr Henry said one of the most important early benefits of the fishing integration within the group would be the access it would give

Wrightson Fisheries to Soviet techniques through the Fletcher Sovrybflot Fishing, Ltd (FLETSOF) joint venture in which Fletcher Fishing is the majority partner with the Soviet organisation V Sovrybflot. The 11 trawlers in the FLETSOF fleet fish in water up to 1000 metres deep off the Chatham Rise and at the outer extremities of New Zealand's 200-mile exclusive economic fishing zone. Mr Henry said that Wrightson Fisheries was budgeting for a significant increase in export sales to about 55 million in new species such as orange roughy. deep sea dory, and squid in the new financial year commencing July 1, and expected to achieve a big proportion of it because it now had access to the deep

sea fishing expertise of the Russians. The flagship of the Wrightson fleet, the 34 metre Otago Challenge, will spend time in distant waters at depths of up to 1000 metres where New Zealand fishing vessels rarely go and it is hoped it will take an improved catch because of the access it now has to the expertise in use among the FLETSOF fleet, Mr Henrv said.

"Knowledge gained from the Soviet fishermen in setting up gear for deepwater trawling, the best trawling speeds, deepwater location, and variations in fish resources will be put to work aboard the Otago Challenge. “One of our objectives in going into the Soviet joint venture was to acquire deep sea fishing knowledge which

could be used by New Zealanders.

“We now see this happening. We’re learning from them and look forward to putting this new knowledge to work in the operations of a local vessel which is big enough for deepwater fishing.

"Presumably other new Zealand joint venture partners will ultimately draw similar benefits from their experience with overseas partners.”

There are seven other small inshore fishing vessels in the Wrightson fleet, all based in Dunedin. The company has major processing facilities in Dunedin, Gisborne, and the Chatham Islands. It is a leader in lobster catching and exporting.