Fish farm company head visits Hao atoll site

10:38 am on 4 June 2018

There has been a further celebration in French Polynesia to mark the launch of a Chinese fish farm project on Hao atoll.

Hao atoll

Hao atoll Photo: Google Maps

The head of the company Tahiti Nui Ocean Foods Wang Cheng visited Hao in the company of several French Polynesian government ministers and the French High Commissioner.

Work on the project began in mid-March and the government published the concessions for its operation at the end of March.

Mr Wang now said the first exports from its planned aquaculture project could be made in 2020.

He said Hao could serve as a base for many other atolls of the Tuamotu group which his company would like to use for fish farming.

Mr Wang said emphasis would be given to the environment, and his ambition is to produce grouper which meets the standards of the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.

He had also confirmed his plans to work with the territory's university.

The original project was five times larger but has gradually been scaled back.

Hao is a former French military site which was used mainly during the three decades of testing of nuclear weapons.

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