Mr Johnston officially joined the team this week and brings with him 18 years scientific, planning and management experience across private enterprise and government in three countries.
Drawing on a unique skill set, Mr Johnston will lead in the industrys R&D strategy and manage Aquaculture New Zealands innovation, environmental, regional technical and bio-security portfolios.
Formerly serving as MAFs principal advisor on aquatic animal health, Mr Johnston is well-known in the industry for his work in diagnosing the oyster herpes virus that struck earlier this year.
Prior to his five-and-a-half year stint with MAF, Mr Johnston worked for the South Australian government as general manager of aquatic resources where he looked after the aquatic animal health, R&D, environment and aquaculture zone policy development portfolios.
Before moving to Australia, he looked after 50 farms, 40 million fish and a 35000 tonne annual production as the veterinary services manager for Marine Harvest, in Scotland.
