Government pledges up to $6 million for New Zealand mussel hatchery

Eastern Bay of Plenty iwi Te Whānau-ā-Apanui will receive investment from the new Regional Strategic Partnership Fund (RSPF) so it can develop a hatchery and research hub near Te Kaha. Accelerating the aquaculture industry has been identified as one of the priorities for economic growth in the Bay of Plenty. “Having a reliable source of quality hatchery spat is an important step in helping the nation’s aquaculture industry be more resilient, improving its supply chain and securing its long-term sustainability,” said Economic and Regional Development Minister, Stuart Nash, in a press release. “The new hatchery will significantly decrease New Zealand’s reliance on mussel spat – or larvae – sourced from the wild. This wild-sourced spat is unreliable in terms of quantity and quality compared to spat bred in a hatchery,” he added. “Despite this clear quality difference, more than 80 percent of the industry currently relies on spat caught in the wild, and it cannot guarantee sufficient ...