Mātauranga Māori key to successful mussel restoration project

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2022-09-05 03:00

New Zealand

Image originally posted to Flickr as Auckland Anniversary 2009: Seafood Festival under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

A marine science research project based on Māori knowledge, values, traditional resources, and the ecological knowledge of kaumatua has successfully restored mussel populations in Ōhiwa Harbour. Researchers worked with a master weaver to develop taura kuku (spat settlement lines) made from natural materials, and found that they were just as effective as commercial plastic spat lines. After 5 months, the taura kuku biodegraded and sank to the ocean floor, where mussels could reattach to form new mussel beds. Three new early-stage mussel beds formed near the restoration stations over the course of the project, increasing the overall abundance of green-lipped mussels nearly tenfold from 78,000 in 2019 to 745,000 in 2021, and enhancing the overall biodiversity of the harbour.

Media release

From: Kura Paul-Burke, study author (see sidebar for contact details)

"Areas in the world where Indigenous peoples speak their languages and continue to enact their traditional practices correlate strongly with areas of high biodiversity.

"This study showcases a project which successfully positioned mātauranga Māori and marine science working together, using traditional Māori resources and practices to solve contemporary environmental problems.

"Co-developing the research with iwi partners at all levels and all stages was fundamental to the project, which is ultimately about the future of our harbour, our kaimoana and our mokopuna. It is always better when we work together."

Journal/
conference: New Zealand Journal of marine and freshwater science

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: University of Waikato, Kaupapa Toi, MUSA Environmental, Tidal Research, Te Rūnanga ō Ngāti Awa

Funder: The authors further acknowledge funding support from the MBIE Sustainable Seas National Science Challenge, MUSA Environmental and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

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