About FloMo
Our Company
Precision Seafood Harvesting was established in 2012 as a joint venture partnership between three of New Zealand’s leading seafood companies: Sealord Group, Sanford Limited and Moana New Zealand.
This partnership was charged with developing and commercialising the initial research and development conducted by Plant & Food Research, a New Zealand government-owned Crown Research Institute. PSH’s role was to manage the ongoing development through a co-funded investment of NZ$42 m under a Primary Growth Partnership programme (PGP) with the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries.
In 2021, Plant & Food Research became a shareholder in Precision Seafood Harvesting which is now managing the delivery of a new NZ$9m research and development programme under a Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures (SFFF) project. The task was to continue to develop and commercialise the innovation and associated technologies in New Zealand and internationally. In preparation for the international rollout of the technology, the “Modular Harvesting System” name was retired in favour of the new brand FloMo.
FloMo represents an evolution in our technology development pathway, as we move beyond a singular focus on developing the physical structure towards a more wholistic focus on what it achieves for the global fishing sector, namely the flow of water through a membrane that preserves the motion of the fish.
Our Story
FloMo has had three distinct phases of development. The first phase (2005-2011) was the conception of the novel codend design by researchers at the New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research in response to an industry desire to improve the value of products generated from the important hoki fishery.
The second phase (2012-2019) was a government-industry co-funded PGP programme that intensively developed the non-mesh codend concept via research into fish injury and product quality, catch selectivity and advanced composite fabric design and manufacture. A short history of the how the collaboration came together to bring this innovation from a concept to a working product is available here. Key to success during this phase were fisheries managers that supported progressive innovation development to the point where the gear was ready for testing against conventional codends.
Fisheries regulations are traditionally built around mesh codends, and careful consideration was needed as to the potential advantages and drawbacks in switching to a non-mesh fishing system at scale. Fisheries managers needed to consider multiple factors to approve the novel codend, including differences in species and size selectivity, the survival of catch escaping or released from gears, and the potential value uplift from improved fish quality among other things. This evaluation work drew in experts from across New Zealand to design trials and also analyse catches where the FloMo gear was used commercially under a special permitting system. Following careful consideration approval was granted for the use of FloMo technology in many of New Zealand’s fisheries (with some exceptions). By the end of this second phase of development over 10,000 experimental tows and been undertaken and global patent protection was in place in 30 countries.
We are now in the third phase of development of the FloMo technology. Supported by a NZ Government SFFF grant, PSH is focussed on upscaling FloMo manufacture capacity to make it available to the whole NZ fleet and to begin the process of bringing this technology to the rest of the world. In conjunction with Wageningen Marine Research, the first overseas trials of FloMo have been conducted successfully in the Netherlands flatfish beam trawl fishery.
New Zealand was a great place to develop the FloMo technology, with a diverse array of fisheries and fishing vessels, and ocean conditions as challenging as anywhere on Earth. While our initial designs were focussed on round-fish and bream-like species mixes, we haven’t stopped innovating, with new FloMo designs coming online for targeting flatfish and Nephrops. Also in the pipeline is a design that will enable the herded catch to be released at depth, unharmed, via a wireless trigger from the bridge. The FloMo is not just a modified codend, it’s a platform for innovation. If you thought not using mesh in a fishing net was crazy, there are plenty more surprises to come.
Regulatory Approval
FloMo has regulatory approval for widespread use in New Zealand waters.
The approval relates to vessels and companies targeting all Quota Management System (QMS) and non-QMS species in Fisheries Management Areas 1 to 9.
The approval excluded species where we are still developing our technology with smaller aperture sizes, namely, scampi, prawn killer and queen scallops, as well as for squid and southern blue whiting in the sub-Antarctic Fisheries Management Area (FMA 6). In addition, FloMo cannot be used to fish within a very small area on the East coast of the North Island (Fisheries Areas 005 and 006 of the Auckland Fisheries Management Area FMA 1).
Our Foundation Shareholders
Precision Seafood Harvesting is a joint-venture company between three of New Zealand’s leading seafood companies (Sealord Group Ltd, Sanford Ltd and Moana New Zealand) and Plant & Food Research. This is a critical partnership that enables us to have a science-led research and development process coupled with the ability to test, refine and develop our technology and innovations across a diverse fleet of vessels that represent close to 50 % of the total NZ commercial seafood sector in both volume and value.
At Plant & Food Research, we believe science can create a better future. By finding smarter, greener options today, we’re helping secure the world we want to live in tomorrow.
With our partners, we use world-leading science to improve how they grow, fish, harvest, prepare and share food. Every day, we have 1000 people working across Aotearoa New Zealand and the world to help deliver healthy foods from the world’s most sustainable systems.
We answer complex biological questions, design innovative products and technologies, and look over the horizon for new ways to grow a smart, green future.
We work to help maximise export opportunities for our primary industries, improve sector productivity, ensure the food we produce is safe, increase sustainable resource use, and protect New Zealand from biological risk.
We have staff working in New Zealand and overseas dedicated to providing the best analysis, policy advice, regulation, and service delivery related to agriculture, forestry, food safety, fisheries and aquaculture management, rural affairs, and biosecurity.
Moana New Zealand is the largest Māori–owned fisheries company in New Zealand (Aotearoa). We fish and harvest solely from the coastal waters of New Zealand, Aotearoa. One of the world’s most pristine and sustainably managed fisheries. Connecting you to the taste of a true and pure place.
Bringing you New Zealand’s most sought after species of blue abalone, wild abalone, fin fish, lobster and oyster. Seafood as good as it can be, brought to market with a lightness of touch that preserves and protects its pure taste and rare magic. Like you were there and caught it yourself.
We have a deep sense of responsibility and respect for our kaimoana, honouring the taonga we have been entrusted with. Taking a long-term view in everything we do, we work in harmony with nature to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries for future generations.
Sanford is New Zealand’s oldest and largest seafood company - we farm salmon and mussels and hold 19.7 % of New Zealand’s commercial fishing quota. Sanford has been listed on the New Zealand stock market since 1924.
We are focused on sustainability and on maximising the value of the resources we gather from our oceans, enabling long-term value creation from oceans teeming with life. Sanford sites can be found in 13 locations around New Zealand and we are a team of 1,400 staff and sharefishers across the country.
Sealord is a leading global seafood company based in Aotearoa New Zealand, that is dedicated to sustainable fishing practices and providing high-quality seafood to consumers across the globe. Sealord focuses on delivering excellence in every aspect of its operations.
At Sealord, we believe in doing right by the environment and our community. We understand the importance of preserving our oceans and ensuring the longevity of marine resources.
Our Partnerships
In addition to our strategic shareholding, we work closely with a range of partners that have enabled our research and development and in turn supported and trialled the science to help us continue to refine our technology and continue to drive FloMo’s innovation.
‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’
That is the mission of Wageningen University & Research. Over 7,600 employees, 13,100 students and over 150.000 participants to WUR’s Life Long Learning from more than hundred countries work everywhere around the world in the domain of healthy food and living environment for governments and the business community-at-large.
We’re here to give the UK seafood sector the support it needs to thrive.
When the seafood industry thrives, the whole nation thrives because:
Seafood is packed full of nutrition;
When managed responsibly, seafood is sustainable;
The seafood industry creates long-term job opportunities and drives business prosperity and,
It builds and sustains communities.
We work with the seafood industry right across the UK from Shetland in the north to Cornwall in the south. We work with fishing vessels and their crew, seafood processing businesses, aquaculture producers, and restaurants and fishmongers reliant on the industry and the top-quality seafood we fish, farm and process.
Our unique, non-competitive position means we work in partnership with stakeholders across the UK to navigate challenges and seize opportunities.
The welfare of caught fish is gaining increasing attention, necessitating an assessment of current practices in the fisheries industry. This project emphasizes the importance of a collaborative effort involving seafood-related industries, research organizations and retail to address this issue on a global scale. Currently, such a multidisciplinary collaboration for major fisheries worldwide is lacking. The primary objective is to establish and coordinate the Catch Welfare Platform (CWP), a network of multidisciplinary teams aimed at expediting the transition in world fisheries towards practices and technologies that enhance the welfare of the catch, including post-capture slaughter.
The CWP will address critical challenges in transitioning global fisheries, including characterizing capture-related hazards, defining scientific principles and tools for implementing good catch welfare, understanding technical and socio-economic barriers, and facilitating stakeholder engagement and public awareness through effective communication and education.
The transition will prioritize fishing practices that minimize physical damage and allostatic load on the animals. The active participation of seafood-related industries, including fishers, is crucial to accelerate this transition. Incentivizing fishers, such as through the valorisation of seafood products adhering to good catch welfare standards, is a key consideration. The work will be conducted within the framework of the One Welfare concept, which recognizes the interrelationships between animal welfare, human well-being, and environmental conservation.
The Ministry for Primary Industries is helping to seize export opportunities for our primary industries, improve sector productivity, ensure the food we produce is safe, increase sustainable resource use, and protect New Zealand from biological risk.
In relation to fishing and aquaculture specifically, Fisheries New Zealand works to ensure that fisheries resources are managed to provide the greatest overall benefit to New Zealanders. Our focus is the sustainability of New Zealand’s wild fish stocks, aquaculture, and the wider aquatic environment, now and for future generations.