November 22, 2017
Mussel reefs cleaning up gulf
Instead of pulling mussels out of the Hauraki Gulf, an environment group is tippng them back in.
Revive Our Gulf is working with iwi, government, Auckland University and the aquaculture industry to place more than 50 tonnes of mussels around five sites in Mahurangi Harbour.
Marine scientists and project manager Peter van Kampen says once the mussels recover from their trip from Coromandel they will link together to form large beds which help filter the water.
These mussel reefs are nurseries for juvenile fish and have 10 times more fish than the barren seafloor of the Hauraki Gulf.
He says there used to be 1200 square kilometres of mussel reefs in the Gulf.
Copyright © 2017, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com