A mussel farm can clearly be seen here in Kenepuru Sound near Waitaria in Waitaria Bay in Marlborough Sounds on the South Island of New Zealand. Aquaculture is a huge industry in New Zealand due to the abundance of water in and around the country. New Zealand not only farms mussels, but oysters, salmon and scallops as well. The way that the mussel farms are run today however, differs from the way that they were managed in the past.
The ropes that can be seen on the top of the water here was not a common sight before the 1960s, as all mussels used to be harvested by hand when the tide went out. Imagine what a time consuming job that must have been! Finally...
... fisherman started to realize that it was not the best way, so they started dredging, but this method wiped out the sea beds of mussels in some areas completely.
It was only after they realized that they needed a more sustainable mussel farming technique that the system that is still used today was born. Mussels are grown along ropes that are suspended from the surface of the water down in to the depths below. An area such as this one, where land surrounds the water from multiple sides provides the perfect growing environment for mussels. Not only is the water rich in plankton, but the land provides much needed shelter for the mussels to mature for 12 to 18 months and then they are ready to be harvested and sold. Now there are over 900 mussel farms in New Zealand alone.
Mussel Farm in Kenepuru Sound near Waitaria in Waitaria Bay, Marlborough, South Island, New Zealand
The ropes and buoys that can be seen on the surface of the water is a muscle farm in Kenepuru Sound near Waitaria Bay in Marlborough on the South Island of New Zealand. Aquaculture is a huge part of New Zealand's industry.
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