THEY ARE HONOURED: Marine farmer Jim Jessep and his wife Fran were both recognised in this year's Queen's Birthday Honours. Photo Dan Hutchinson
by Dan Hutchinson
A Queen’s Birthday honour for Marlborough’s marine farming maestro Jim Jessep is a timely shot in the arm for an industry in which people are positive but struggling to survive.
Mr Jessep said the award was as much about recognising the industry as it was for him personally.
“I spent a lot of time on industry matters but I got a tremendous lot of support from participants in the industry. I really do regard this as recognition of our industry, this is a great industry for Marlborough.”
He said people in the industry at present were optimistic about the future but returns were “pretty awful” thanks to the high exchange rate.
“People are in survival mode at the moment.”
He said there was a lot of work going into improving production efficiencies at the processing plants to improve returns, markets were strong and people were optimistic.
One challenge facing the industry at the moment was new legislation that has effectively seen the development of new farms come to a grinding halt.
Mr Jessep still has 13ha of marine farms in the Marlborough Sounds but retired from executive roles with the various industry bodies several years ago.
He was confident that there was willingness by the Government and the industry to make the new aquaculture legislation work or for it to be changed to allow for development.
Mr Jessep’s MNZM (Member of the NZ Order of Merit) recognised his contribution to the Marine Farming industry and the wider Marlborough community over the past 25 years.
He was president of the New Zealand Marine Farming Association for 10 years, chairman of the Mussel Industry Council for three years and a member of the Aquaculture Council for more than 12 years.
He has been dealing with major threats to the industry virtually since he bought his first 3ha farm in Fairy Bay 25 years ago.
The industry collapsed shortly after he started when its main market – a pill for arthritis was withdrawn from the US pharmaceutical list.
He has also survived toxic algal blooms, moratoriums and the corporatisation of the industry.
Mr Jessep’s award was part of a Queen’s Birthday double surprise for the Jessep family with his wife Fran winning the Queen’s Service Medal for decades of service to various Marlborough community organisations.
Mrs Jessep has served the Marlborough community in a number of capacities over the past two and half decades.
She received the Queens Service Medal for her work in the local community that includes 10 years as Marlborough President for the National Council of Women.
She has also spent 10 years on the council of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Marlborough Safer Community Council Community Housing Network, Marlborough Boys College and the Marlborough Community Grants Scheme.
She is still serving as the only Blenheim representative on the Canterbury Community Trust.
For Mr Jessep, his recognition is the icing on the cake for a job that he has been truly passionate about for 25 years.
He hails from a traditional farming family of four generations but he and his brothers decided to sell up and do other things.
Mr Jessep admits he never really had a huge interest in traditional farming but farming the sea was a different story altogether.
“Even in the middle of winter at 3am in the morning getting ready to go out to the farms, I looked forward to the day. It was the people in the industry and I just liked being on the sea.”
When Mr Jessep started marine farming 25 years ago, the industry was producing about 4000 tonnes of mussels, largely for use in arthritis treatment pills.
Nowadays, the industry produces more than 80,000 tonnes of mussels, having overcome several, near-fatal blows.
The drama started shortly after Mr Jessep bought a 3ha farm in Fairy Bay in Pelorus Sound when the US Food and Drug Agency decided the benefits of mussels for arthritis treatment were unproven.
The industry took a decade to get back on its feet, marketing its product as a premium food to chefs and foodies in New Zealand and abroad.
In 1992, the industry suffered its next big blow with a bio-toxin bloom shutting down the industry for six weeks and placing the entire industry in jeopardy.
“We were not even sure we had a future anymore.”Through his time in the industry, Mr Jessep has been instrumental in dealing with industry issues and steering the farmers through endless bureaucracy.
by Dan Hutchinson
A Queen’s Birthday honour for Marlborough’s marine farming maestro Jim Jessep is a timely shot in the arm for an industry in which people are positive but struggling to survive.
Mr Jessep said the award was as much about recognising the industry as it was for him personally.
“I spent a lot of time on industry matters but I got a tremendous lot of support from participants in the industry. I really do regard this as recognition of our industry, this is a great industry for Marlborough.”
He said people in the industry at present were optimistic about the future but returns were “pretty awful” thanks to the high exchange rate.
“People are in survival mode at the moment.”
He said there was a lot of work going into improving production efficiencies at the processing plants to improve returns, markets were strong and people were optimistic.
One challenge facing the industry at the moment was new legislation that has effectively seen the development of new farms come to a grinding halt.
Mr Jessep still has 13ha of marine farms in the Marlborough Sounds but retired from executive roles with the various industry bodies several years ago.
He was confident that there was willingness by the Government and the industry to make the new aquaculture legislation work or for it to be changed to allow for development.
Mr Jessep’s MNZM (Member of the NZ Order of Merit) recognised his contribution to the Marine Farming industry and the wider Marlborough community over the past 25 years.
He was president of the New Zealand Marine Farming Association for 10 years, chairman of the Mussel Industry Council for three years and a member of the Aquaculture Council for more than 12 years.
He has been dealing with major threats to the industry virtually since he bought his first 3ha farm in Fairy Bay 25 years ago.
The industry collapsed shortly after he started when its main market – a pill for arthritis was withdrawn from the US pharmaceutical list.
He has also survived toxic algal blooms, moratoriums and the corporatisation of the industry.
Mr Jessep’s award was part of a Queen’s Birthday double surprise for the Jessep family with his wife Fran winning the Queen’s Service Medal for decades of service to various Marlborough community organisations.
Mrs Jessep has served the Marlborough community in a number of capacities over the past two and half decades.
She received the Queens Service Medal for her work in the local community that includes 10 years as Marlborough President for the National Council of Women.
She has also spent 10 years on the council of the Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology, Marlborough Safer Community Council Community Housing Network, Marlborough Boys College and the Marlborough Community Grants Scheme.
She is still serving as the only Blenheim representative on the Canterbury Community Trust.
For Mr Jessep, his recognition is the icing on the cake for a job that he has been truly passionate about for 25 years.
He hails from a traditional farming family of four generations but he and his brothers decided to sell up and do other things.
Mr Jessep admits he never really had a huge interest in traditional farming but farming the sea was a different story altogether.
“Even in the middle of winter at 3am in the morning getting ready to go out to the farms, I looked forward to the day. It was the people in the industry and I just liked being on the sea.”
When Mr Jessep started marine farming 25 years ago, the industry was producing about 4000 tonnes of mussels, largely for use in arthritis treatment pills.
Nowadays, the industry produces more than 80,000 tonnes of mussels, having overcome several, near-fatal blows.
The drama started shortly after Mr Jessep bought a 3ha farm in Fairy Bay in Pelorus Sound when the US Food and Drug Agency decided the benefits of mussels for arthritis treatment were unproven.
The industry took a decade to get back on its feet, marketing its product as a premium food to chefs and foodies in New Zealand and abroad.
In 1992, the industry suffered its next big blow with a bio-toxin bloom shutting down the industry for six weeks and placing the entire industry in jeopardy.
“We were not even sure we had a future anymore.”Through his time in the industry, Mr Jessep has been instrumental in dealing with industry issues and steering the farmers through endless bureaucracy.
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