Restoring wild mussel beds in the Top of the South
A project to restore wild, green-lipped mussel beds in Te Tau Ihu/Top of the South Island is delivering exciting results.
More than 50 tonnes of farmed mussels and 24 tonnes of mussel shells have been put on the seabed in various locations since 2019. Council has been involved alongside the University of Auckland, the Marine Farming Association, NIWA, local marine farmers, iwi, the Nature Conservancy and MPI, working to identify the best methods for restoring wild mussel beds as part of the Kūtai Restoration Project
Senior Coastal Scientist Katie Littlewood says the goal is to examine the potential of restoring green-lipped mussels and overcome barriers to natural mussel recovery.
“While Marlborough is a highly productive farmed, green-lipped mussel region, wild shellfish beds are important for ecosystem function and the aim is to have wild mussels growing on the seabed, as happened in the past,” she said. “Mussels act as building blocks and are important for overall ecosystem health, providing habitats for marine life and aiding sediment filtration and removal.”
At a recent Environment and Planning Committee meeting, Dr Emilee Benjamin, Research Fellow from the University of Auckland, explained her team’s work over the past four years.
“Most of the mussels put on the seabed survived and built habitats for other marine organisms. Ongoing surveys of the beds show twice as many seaweeds, four times more blue cod and higher amounts of invertebrates such as sea cucumbers, compared to adjacent habitats,” she said.
“Our ultimate goal is self-sustainable populations. Juvenile mussels aren’t currently recruiting into the restored mussel beds so our focus is on understanding this and facilitating juvenile recruitment.”
“Restoration takes many hands, and we are grateful to our partners, especially the aquaculture industry, which donates time, resources, mussels and shells to make our work possible.”
The project will continue for another three years.