New Zealand King Salmon is warning that unauthorised diving and filming at their farms in the Marlborough Sounds could end in tragedy because of the underwater hazards.
But the man behind the incident that prompted the warning says he had no intention to dive near the farm in the Tory Channel and the warning was unnecessary.
The company has put out a public safety notice which says no-one should be diving near the farms without authority to make sure the company's health and safety standards are met.
King Salmon chief executive Grant Rosewarne said the notice was prompted by the actions of French Pass man Danny Boulton who was seen heading toward the Tory Channel farm with filming equipment on Tuesday.
Mr Rosewarne said Mr Boulton had been in contact with the company about organising a tour of a farm with potential for a dive and to film.
The company welcomed the dive and filming, but only if all safety issues were addressed beforehand, he said.
Mr Rosewarne said Mr Boulton was seen heading toward the farms on Tuesday without the company having seen his diving certification and equipment.
The major hazards under and on the water included nets, mooring lines and weighted ropes, he said.
"We have a specialist diving team who train to the same level as the New Zealand Navy and we do not allow them to go below 30 metres," Mr Rosewarne said.
"We don't want someone with lesser qualifications going further than that."
There was "no mystery" about what lay underneath the farms which was mostly worms and micro-organisms, he said.
The company was open to diving at the farms as long as it was planned in the right way.
Mr Boulton told the Express he and several other people were at the top of the Sounds early last week doing an underwater survey in Tory Channel.
He called the King Salmon office while on the boat to say he only wanted to put a drop camera down to have a look underneath and did not want to dive.
Mr Boulton was then told the company needed more notice and a supervisor needed to be present.
They later stopped at one of the farms to take a photo and talked to a worker to ask when a supervisor would be at the farm.
Mr Boulton said they did not put the camera down during that trip because there was no supervisor present.
He was concerned further aquaculture development in the Sounds would degrade the marine environment further.
The warning was unnecessary because he was the only member of the public who had asked for permission to dive at the farm, he said.
SIMON WONG
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