Shellfish (mussels, oysters, paua) are our strength, and our knowledge can be applied to many other species. We have experience in R&D for seaweed and finfish aquaculture.

Hatchery and nursery technology: Modern aquaculture includes the production of seed in hatcheries and nurseries. We can build cost-effective seed production systems that accommodate the biological needs of the animals.

Two offshoots from this activity are covered in the Biotechnology section of our website: Cryopreservation and Algae Production.

Selective breeding of shellfish has brought us international recognition.

Animal husbandry is increasingly important as the stock becomes more valuable and reliable productivity is a commercial imperative.

Spat sales: By providing commercial quantities of selectively bred oyster spat to most big New Zealand oyster growers we demonstrate the usefulness of our work.

Well-funded Research Projects underpin our commercial R&D. Supported by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, we empower today’s aquaculture industry and we develop the knowledge that will sustain its success in the future.

Much of our work is done at the Cawthron Aquaculture Park, 15km North of Nelson. This is a large facility built for the purpose of R&D. It features all elements of a hatchery and nursery operation and is capable of commercial-scale seed production.

Our knowledge gets taken up by the industry. Many projects are supported by companies, and we collaborate with two big companies towards the establishment of commercial mussel hatcheries.