Friday, 12 April 2002

Outstanding research at the Cawthron Institute in Nelson has produced a breakthrough for the mussel farming industry, says Minister of Research, Science and Technology Pete Hodgson.

Mr Hodgson is visiting the Glenhaven Aquaculture Centre near Nelson today to launch a mussel selective breeding programme.

The launch of the programme means the mussel industry now has the necessary technology to domesticate the greenshell mussel, as traditional land-based farm animals have been domesticated.

“The mussel industry is now moving into a new era of control over the quality of its product,” Mr Hodgson said.

“Mussel farming will be possible without the need to collect seed mussels, or spat, from the wild. Captive breeding will allow farmers to enhance the quality of the mussels they produce by selecting for the characteristics the market wants.

“This breakthrough is the result of world-beating New Zealand science and I am delighted that $5 million of public funding from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology has enabled it to happen.”

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