Koura

Koura is a native freshwater crayfish species of New Zealand. It’s natural habitat is characterized by a very high water quality and sufficient protection against enemies. They prefer very slow or even stagnant waters with a temperature of about 20 degrees. Possible protection structures are very important for the native species as they do not have evolutionary adaptations to defend themselves against introduced species like trout, catfish, perch or eel’s.

With all that in mind we have established our breeding infrastructure.
So we have created five ponds of a dimension of 4 x 20m and sealed them with clay so that the water does not seep away. These are topped up with the purest spring water from our valley when required.

Manuka bushes were planted at the edges of the pools, which will later serve as sun and weather protection. Additionally, bundles of Manuka branches were suspended in the ponds so that the Koura can hide and protect themselves. Watercress, which thrives on the surface of the water, serves as food. Barriers have been erected around the ponds to prevent predators from entering. It takes between 2-5 years until the small Koura are ready for harvest. During this time, water quality, oxygen content of the water and food sources must be constantly monitored.

At the moment we are still in the early stages with our Koura program. Our goal is to build up our own breeding program in the future, which reaches from the larvae to the full-grown specimen. The subsequent high-quality product is popular with gourmets all over the world.