$200 million payoff expected from SPATnz Greenshell mussel breeding trial results – Stuff.co.nz

Nelson-based trial resultsshowing hatchery musselscan grow up to twice as fast as those caught in the wildis expected to be worth about $200 million a year to the wider New Zealand economy.

Greenshell mussel companySPATnzreleased theresults of its multi-year breeding programme on Friday, developed in partnership with Sanford, the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Cawthron Institute.

SPATnzprogramme manager Rodney Roberts saidhis teamand all who were involvedwerethrilled with the results.

"The final results from this seven-year Primary Growth Partnership programme have exceeded all our expectations."

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Growth rates for mussel spat from the hatchery were compared withthose collected in the wild from Golden Bay and Kaitaia.

Roberts said trials showed the SPATnz mussels reached market sizeat a significantly faster rate taking an average of 16.7 months to grow from seed to harvest size of around 55 grams.

In comparison,wild-caughtvarieties took28.3 months to reach weighted averages nearly a year longer.

The biggest contrast was with Kaitaia mussels, which were the main seed source for the industry. The quickest of three hatchery strains halved the growing time of Kaitaia mussels in Marlborough, which Roberts said was"a pretty incredible result".

TheSPATnzhatchery opened in 2015 at the Cawthron Aquaculture Park in Nelson New Zealand and employs 23 people.

SPATnzhas developed hatchery facilities and methods capable of producing spat for around 30,000 tonnes a year of adult mussels. Last year the industry produced a total of 90,000 tonnes of Greenshell mussels.

SPATnz

SPATnz Programme Manager Rodney Roberts, centre, with some of his Nelson-based team studying swimming Greenshell mussel larvae through a microscope.

Cawthron's MBIE-funded Cultured Shellfish programme developed the fundamentals of the selective breeding programme in anticipation of hatchery spat production.

Commercialisation of the selective breeding was then jointly funded by Sanford Ltd and MPI through the Primary Growth Partnership.MPIdirector of investment programmes StevePennosaidthe results weregreat news for the mussel sector.

The breeding programme relies on conventional selective breeding, similar to the way terrestrial farmers breed more productive sheep and cows.

Thereis nogenetic engineering involved in the selective breeding. The scientists pick the cream of the crop as parents for selective breeding so their offspring are among the best that nature provides.

The programme wasnot aiming to produce a single "super mussel" but maintaineda wide range of high performing lines to choose from.

Hatchery spat are currently growing on mussel farms in Pelorus Sound in Marlborough.

MPIdirector of investment programmes StevePennosaidthe results weregreat news for the mussel sector.

"Faster growing mussels means more of this great product will be available to consumers both in New Zealand and around the world.

"MPI is investing inSPATnzas it has the potential to be a real game-changer for New Zealand's Greenshell mussel industry, delivering benefits for mussel farmers, our economy and the environment."

Sanford chief executiveVolkerKuntzschsaidthe success ofSPATnzwasan excellent example of the benefits of innovation and collaboration.

He said wider utilisation of thespat wouldsee a potential increase in sales for the New Zealand mussel sector of $229m a year by 2026,which meant a thriving mussel industry, more regional jobs and stronger regional economies.

"With an ambitious and exciting goal from the New Zealand Government for the aquaculture sector to be worth $3 billion in annual sales by 2035, this is a great stepping stone towards that target."

SPATnz

SPATNZ operations manager Dan McCall caring for Greenshell mussel spat at the SPATnz hatchery in Nelson.

Both Kuntzschand Roberts agreedthe mussel breeding programme could helpmitigate the impact of climate change ontheaquaculture sector.

"What we have done is selectively breed by choosing some of the best mussels that nature has to offer as the parents to produce our mussel families," Roberts said.

"Careful selective breeding can help future-proof the New Zealand mussel industry against threats like ocean acidification, global warming and disease."

Roberts saidshellfish generally were"an extremely sustainable food" and that wastrue of Greenshell mussels.

"Compared to other forms of animal protein, they have an extremely light touch on the environment," he said.

As well as faster growth,SPATnzand Cawthron werefocusing on other characteristics that selective breeding couldpromote, such as better mussel condition, as well as looking at enhancing theanti-inflammatory qualities of Greenshell mussels.

Kuntzschsaidwith mussel powderand oil highly sought after on global markets, Sanford was already exploring the incredible opportunities in thenutraceuticalsmarket.

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$200 million payoff expected from SPATnz Greenshell mussel breeding trial results - Stuff.co.nz