Farming mussels has always been a haphazard affair, but now New Zealand scientists have managed to coax them to breed in captivity.
The first of 500 tonnes of the greenshell mussels from a joint Government-private company programme are about to be harvested in the Marlborough Sounds. The research promises to give farmers more control and certainty over growing the indigenous shellfish, worth $350 million to the economy.
Once the programme is in full swing, SPATNZ's hatchery in Nelson could produce about 30,000 tonnes a year of adult mussels, adding $200m value. Last year the industry produced just over 80,000 tonnes.
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