Seafood Saturday was a celebration of kaimoana and the kaimahi who deliver it to us, from sea to table.
From visiting a fishing boat in the morning to Upper Trafalgar Street coming alive with festivities for everyone to enjoy from midday, there was something for the entire family.
Read more below about all the activities that took place at Seafood Saturday 2024.
Visit Gleam at Nelson Marina
From 8am - 12pm, head to berth F08 at the Nelson Marina to climb aboard a historic fishing boat.
Owned by New Zealand’s oldest fishing family, Gleam is retired from active service but continues to give back to the community and foster a connection with the moana.
On Seafood Saturday, 9 March, Gleam was moored and open to the public from 8am–12pm. It was a special chance to climb aboard and learn more about this historic vessel and how it worked as a fishing boat, feeding the community with tasty kaimoana.
NZ Fish Fed Community Hub
Between 12pm and 4pm, Upper Trafalgar Street came alive with festivities for everyone to enjoy!
Brought to you by Seafood New Zealand, Upper Trafalgar Street was buzzing with fishing-related activities and the opportunity to enjoy exquisite locally caught or grown seafood.
With food carts, live entertainment, kids activities and even free fish and chips for the kids, there was something for the entire family.
Events and demonstrations
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Coastguard Nelson covers an area 7,400 square kilometres, from the top of Farewell Spit to the northern tip of D’urville Island, Tasman bay inclusive. This is the biggest stretch of water a single Coastguard unit covers.
Find Coastguard representatives in the NZ Fish Fed Community Hub to learn how you can make a donation or get involved and help save lives on the water.
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Explore a pop-up exhibition by local artist Luke Heal, who specialises in colourful paintings of fish, using portraiture techniques to try to capture the living essence of sea creatures that we might not otherwise see.
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Nelson artist Bill Rainey is joining us for Seafood Saturday in Upper Trafalgar Street, showcasing his stunning original regional seascapes in acrylic.
His work is bold, contemporary and full of drama, just like the sea. Come and meet Bill and picture his work on your wall!
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Head around the corner from 1903 Square to the Moananui blue economy cluster headquarters building (329 Trafalgar Square).
Moananui is throwing open its doors to showcase our region’s emerging blue tech industry, key to supporting sustainable seafood production.
World-leading science and tech companies will be on display together with Blake NZ-VR and the STEAM Aquabot programme from Nelson Intermediate School. There will be VR headsets, underwater robots, a live ‘control room’ and even a trial boat in the carpark!
Come whet your appetite by exploring the technology, people and ideas shaping the future of seafood.
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Spot the cheeky fish in our latest exhibition, Animal Antics: Comedy Wildlife Photography or see a stingray spine in Te Hītori Aoturoa: Learning from Nature.
Free Museum admission for Nelson Tasman locals.
The Museum is hosting even more crafts for kids on the day. Find all the details in the Kids activities section below.
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This digital display in the Museum’s Trafalgar Street window will feature historic photos of our local seafood industry from Nelson Provincial Museum’s incredible photographic collection.
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Don’t miss the Sealord tent, where you can find information about careers in fisheries and more!
The Westport Fishing School will also be roving Upper Trafalgar Street – flag them down to ask about a career in fisheries.
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The Sealord crew will be demonstrating how to fillet a variety of New Zealand fish species on the stage at 1903 Square, Upper Trafalgar Street. Come along to watch the experts in action and learn more abut your favourite fish.
Food
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Build your own tasty fish burger with Sealord, thanks to Culture Burger and Skipper’s Choice, with all proceeds going to Nelson Coastguard!
Join the Sealord crew to talk all things seafood, while they help you build your own Sealord fish burger in the NZ Fish Fed Community Zone on Upper Trafalgar Street.
Burger numbers are limited to 150 – see you at 12.30pm! Don’t forget your gold coin for the Coastguard.
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We’re giving away 150 serves of fish and chips to kids throughout the afternoon thanks to The Vic Public House and Sealord!
Join us in the NZ Fish Fed Community Zone on Upper Trafalgar Street from around 1pm to make sure you get yours.
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Family-owned in Nelson since the 1970s, Skipper’s Choice was started by Ted Jones and his late wife, June, and now run by his son Clint.
Skipper’s Choice produces sauces, dressings and batter mix for supermarkets, retailers and takeaways throughout the country.
Find them in the NZ Fish Fed Community Hub.
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Top of the South Seafood is premium seafood delivered directly to your door.
Their food truck will be selling delicious kaimoana at the NZ Fish Fed Community Hub.
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Tasty and filling Sri Lankan-style seafood dishes will be on offer from this foo truck.
Kids activities
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Get your face painted with all sorts of ocean-themed characters. Perhaps a fish, a mermaid or maybe even a shark! Parent supervision required.
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We have a fishy scavenger hunt for kids around Upper Trafalgar Street.
Pick up a Find a Fish sheet in the FirstMate Kid’s Zone, then look for our eight New Zealand fish stickers in shop windows in and around Upper Trafalgar Street to fill in the missing word or number to complete the fact about the fish.
Drop your completed page with your name and contact number in the box in the FirstMate Kid’s Zone. All correct Find a Fish will go into a draw to win one of two cool Seafood New Zealand jigsaw puzzles!
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Watch a magical pirate show with Captain Stinkypants.
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Pop into the Museum for kids’ crafts with Jolie.
Tamariki can let their imaginations swim free as they create and decorate a unique little fish (takes approx. 30 minutes). Parent supervision required.
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Dive into the world of colours with ocean-themed colouring-in materials available in our education space. Parent supervision required.
NZ Fish Fed Community Hub
Founded in 1953, the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen (Federation) is a national organisation that represents small to medium-sized, independent owner-operator fishers and their crew.
The Federation advocates at a local, regional and national level on things that matter to fishers and their communities, such as fisheries management, licensing, fish pricing, nautical matters and all things fishing in New Zealand.
Everyone who is involved in the catching sector of the commercial fishing industry in New Zealand is encouraged to become a member of the Federation.
With thanks to our sponsors - passionate about our seafood industry.
Primary Sponsor
Seafood New Zealand works to ensure a thriving and sustainable seafood sector that is valued by New Zealanders and our trading partners, and is committed to providing high quality careers in local communities through our sustainable and innovative provision of safe seafood.
