The Kai Ika Project is a non-profit initiative bringing communities together to share previously underutilised fish parts, to reduce waste and feed the community while conserving fish for future generations.
This kaupapa [project] is a collaboration between the Outboard Boating Club of Auckland (OBC), Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae and LegaSea.
Since the project’s inception in 2016, over 300,000kg of previously unwanted fish parts have been collected from various sources and shared with appreciative families and community groups throughout Auckland.
Kai Ika offers a fish filleting service at Westhaven’s Z Pier in Auckland and at the OBC. Filleting services are available to events across the North Island by prior arrangement. This enables fishers to have their catch expertly processed whilst ensuring nothing goes to waste, and 100% of funds raised are reinvested back into Kai Ika.
We aim to demonstrate how people can respect the marine environment by using more of the fish they take, fostering improved behaviours that will enable us to take less.
Through sharing a variety of recipes that cater for a range of skill levels, we hope to empower home chefs to prepare less familiar secondary cuts.