New Zealand’s Green Lip Mussel Production Declines YoY

The New Zealand production of green lip mussels declined YoY for the last four years, from a high of over 30K Mt per year to around 19K MT in 2021. The decline is estimated to cost the industry an average of USD 10M per year. Producers reported warmer water temperatures in the main production areas caused this decline. Climate change projections for New Zealand have indicated that seawater temperatures will increase by 1-3°C over the coming 80 years, which means that summer sea-surface temperatures may regularly exceed 24°C in some areas of NZ. Adult mussels held at 24°C begin to die after four months, and reproductive potential decreases. Those held for more than four months at 21°C experience significant stress, which impacts the reproductive performance, where very few mussels can survive and breed, causing a massive concern for the mussel industry, which threatens the financial sustainability of the entire industry with even more pressure on global food security.