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AN UPDATE FROM THE CAWTHRON INSTITUTE Encouraging results so far with further trials planned Aquaculture scientist Achim Janke with oysters from Cawthron Institute's selective breeding programme LATEST RESEARCH ENCOURAGES OYSTER INDUSTRY VIP.AC45 VIP.AC45 IP.AC A collaborative research programme to breed oysters resilient to a virus which three years ago devastated New Zealand's Pacific oyster industry is starting to deliver promising results. Scientists at Cawthron Institute together with industry partners have been working towards breeding Pacific oysters resilient to the ostreid herpes (OsHV-1) virus that almost wiped out the country's Pacific oyster stocks in 2010. Cawthron Institute presented results from the latest research trials at the New Zealand Oyster Industry Association AGM on July 6. Association immediate past chairman Callum McCallum said that the Cawthron breeding programme offered hope, and although the oyster industry was likely to be in for another hard year, next year could be better. RESEARCH, CONSULTING AND LABORATORY ANALYSIS Aquaculture research Aquaculture impact assessments and consents Biosecurity and pest management plans IANZ accredited seafood laboratory Fisheries assessments and management systems Adaptive management plans CAWTHRON INSTITUTE Ph +64 3 548 2319 info@cawthron.org.nz www.cawthron.org.nz 14 ■ NZ AQUACULTURE ■ SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2013 New Zealand's oyster industry is small, compared to mussel exports and salmon, but there is positivity about the future as New Zealand is not the only country to have been affected by the virus – and worldwide demand for oysters has remained strong. Cawthron Institute is responsible for the only oyster in hatchery in the country in northeast Nelson, which was then taken over by Aotearoa Fisheries in February. The hatchery produces 12 million spat annually. Cawthron Institute chief executive Charles Eason said that while there are further trials planned, the new study has identified oyster families with a very high survival rate when exposed to the oyster virus that decimated stocks in 2010. Cawthron Institute scientists have been researching the resilience of Pacific oysters to the virus since 2010 when it first hit New Zealand. The virus caused 90 percent losses in the wild caught spat the industry heavily relied on for its marine farm stocks. The crisis led to job losses, factory closures and saw an overall drop in production of 50 to 60 percent with some individual farmers hit significantly harder. When the virus struck, Cawthron Institute was already involved in a joint research project with industry partners into breeding of oyster spat. "We all worked together to address this problem," says cultured shellfish programme leader Nick King. "We could not have got this far without the huge support we have received from our industry partners, in particular Pacific Marine Farms – a subsidiary of Aotearoa Fisheries Limited, and Te Matuku Bay Oysters, who managed the bulk of the on-farm trials." Aquaculture manager at Cawthron Dr Jacquie Reed says the research and farm trials indicate that a combination of genetic improvement through breeding, and improved farm husbandry – such as by growing oysters to a larger size and age before exposure to the virus, makes a big difference in terms of oyster survivorship and a return to viable production. "We're hoping these new breeding strategies will help us achieve genetic gains in a relatively short time frame," Reed says. "We are fully aware that timing is critical in times of crisis, and the industry needs fast results to survive." BOOST TO THE TOP At the end of June, aquaculture in the Top of the South received a boost following the signing of a formal agreement between Cawthron Institute and Wakatu Incorporation. "This new partnership represents a long-term investment in the aquaculture sector and symbolises an ongoing commitment by Cawthron Institute and Wakatu to economic development in the Nelson Tasman region," Cawthron Institute Chairman Ian Kearney says.