Shellfish Aquaculture Research Platform
The national Shellfish Aquaculture Research Platform is the hub of shellfish aquaculture research in Aotearoa. Delivery of the Platform’s research objectives has required a collaborative effort between its leaders at Cawthron Institute and a range of partners including Māori, crown research institutes, universities, international researchers and companies within New Zealand’s shellfish industry.
Aquaculture is the world’s fastest growing primary sector and is identified by Aotearoa New Zealand’s Government and industry as a significant growth opportunity. The Government’s Aquaculture Strategy has set a target of achieving revenue of $1B by 2030.
Cawthron Institute’s Shellfish Aquaculture Platform will help industry push beyond this target, by:
- Enabling the sustainable growth of NZ’s existing shellfish aquaculture industry through innovation along the value chain including reliable seed supply, improved genetics, precision farming methods and new products
- Enabling new and emerging shellfish aquaculture industry including geoduck, flat oyster and a pipeline of future species opportunities
- Securing shellfish aquaculture production with improved shellfish health management, disease risk mitigation and biofouling management
These goals will be achieved by continuing Cawthron’s ground-breaking work on domesticating our valuable shellfish species. This revolution will provide a reliable seed supply and enable selective breeding of these stocks, yielding higher productivity, quality, and market value. Where technical barriers hinder farming, we partner with industry to develop solutions. Securing these gains, new tools will manage the risk to aquaculture from threats, and position the sector to react more effectively to future problems.
Funder: The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment through the Strategic Science Investment Fund
Partners: AgResearch, Plant and Food Research, Moana, SpatNZ, Sanford Ltd, Aquaculture NZ.
Contact Serean Adams.
Case Studies
Video: Cawthron Institute. Research draws upon mātauranga Māori to understand kūtai (green-lipped mussel) health
News stories
Nelson hatchery showing their mussel in spat-growing technology | Stuff.co.nz
$200 million payoff expected from SPATnz Greenshell mussel breeding trial results | Stuff.co.nz
Adapt or die: Climate change puts pressure on NZ’s paua | Stuff.co.nz
Ugly ducklings could grow to $1b aquaculture industry | NBR
Sea cucumber: The lucrative bottom feeder that Kiwis don’t want | Stuff.co.nz
Cawthron Scientist has developed an ECG for paua | Stuff.co.nz
Serean Adams
Group Manager Aqauculture

Other aquaculture research projects
Aquatic Animal Health Research Programme
The national Shellfish Aquaculture Research Platform is the hub of shellfish aquaculture research in Aotearoa. Delivery of the Platform’s research objectives has required a collaborative effort between its leaders at Cawthron Institute and a range of partners including Māori, crown research institutes, universities, international researchers and companies within New Zealand’s shellfish industry.
BeNeZe: A kingfish parasite diagnosis and management tool
The Cawthron Institute has developed BeNeZe – a decision support tool for managing skin (Benedenia seriolae, Neobenedenia girellae), and gill fluke (Zeuxapta seriolae) infections in kingfish and amberjacks (Seriola species). The tool helps to determine the best time to treat parasites based on local conditions. It also helps recognise signs of ectoparasite flatworm infections.
Improving Fish Nutrition, Feed Conversion Rates, Health and Survival of Chinook (King) Salmon
Cawthron’s ‘Improving fish nutrition, feed conversion rates, health and survival of king salmon’ project was initiated in 2014 in partnership with Seafood Innovations Limited, New Zealand King Salmon, and with funding support from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.