Wayne Downing

Background

About Wayne Downing

Contributing to protecting and preserving our marine environment is my career focus. I strongly believe this can be achieved through sustainable fishing, sound aquaculture practices, polyculture and continued research and development. I hold a BSC Degree in Marine Conservation and Aquaculture. I am the manufacturing lead in the production of organic seaweed fertilisers, bio-stimulants and foliar feeds. My work involves leading the process of seaweed liquid extraction from the species Undaria pinnatifida, through the entire manufacturing process of our all of our organically certified products. I am proud of the products our company produces as they can be used to prevent environmental damage and improve soil biology through the elimination of harsh chemical based fertilisers and applications. I also occasionally work for fisheries New Zealand at the Ministry for Primary Industries as a fisheries observer. This role is highly important to help regulate and understand our wild fisheries. Using the data that the fisheries observer collects during trips contributes to the scientific understanding of the targeted fisheries.