Science Centres: Fisheries

Carina Sim-Smith holds the prototype glycogen monitor for mussel spat (at left).

Retention of juvenile mussels (spat) is a big issue for mussel farmers, with spat losses commonly exceeding 70%. Research has shown that poor nutrition is a major cause of losses of wild-caught mussel spat from mussel ropes.

NIWA and Sealord Shellfish Ltd have now developed a simple way to identify poorly-nourished spat in the field, as an alternative to complex laboratory tests. NIWA scientist Carina Sim-Smith successfully adapted a tiny battery-operated blood-glucose meter (as used by diabetics) to quickly determine the nutritional condition of mussel spat.

With the meter, we can test the spat in the field in just 15 minutes, reliably differentiating between well-fed spat and spat that have been poorly fed for as little as four days.

‘This technology will allow us to reduce financial losses associated with harvesting and reseeding poor-quality spat’, says Lance Searle, Science & Research Manager at Sealord Group Ltd.

We’re now field-testing the meter.