The Country
  • The Country home
  • Latest news
  • Audio & podcasts
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life
  • Listen on iHeart radio

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Coast & Country News
  • Opinion
  • Dairy farming
  • Sheep & beef farming
  • Horticulture
  • Animal health
  • Rural business
  • Rural technology
  • Rural life

Media

  • Podcasts
  • Video

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whāngarei
  • Dargaville
  • Auckland
  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Hamilton
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Te Kuiti
  • Taumurunui
  • Taupō
  • Gisborne
  • New Plymouth
  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Whanganui
  • Palmerston North
  • Levin
  • Paraparaumu
  • Masterton
  • Wellington
  • Motueka
  • Nelson
  • Blenheim
  • Westport
  • Reefton
  • Kaikōura
  • Greymouth
  • Hokitika
  • Christchurch
  • Ashburton
  • Timaru
  • Wānaka
  • Oamaru
  • Queenstown
  • Dunedin
  • Gore
  • Invercargill

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / The Country

End of dredging for pest mussels in Tasman Bay

NZPA
20 May, 2008 12:26 AM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

KEY POINTS:

Over 50 tonnes of material has been dredged from the Tasman Bay seabed off Nelson and disposed of on land after invasive brown mussels were found.

The South African mussels, known as perna perna, ended up in area of seabed beneath where an oil rig was cleaned late
last year.

Biosecurity New Zealand said two separate sites were dredged by a scallop dredge and the material, mainly dead shell and sediment, was disposed of at a local landfill.

David Yard from Biosecurity NZ said the risk of the small number of brown mussels present establishing a population was always low, but that risk had to be mitigated.

The brown mussel has recently invaded North America around the Gulf of Mexico and is rapidly becoming a nuisance for water-cooling systems for power stations.

An outbreak in Tasman Bay would pose a threat to New Zealand's $200 million mussel industry.

"We can now safely say that we are comfortable all reasonable efforts have been made to eradicate the brown mussel...from the affected area in Tasman Bay," Mr Yard said.

Any risk of it re-establishing were "negligible", he said.

The owner of the oil rig, Texas-based Diamond Offshore Drilling, is covering the cost of the dredging clean up, which stands at about $250,000.

Biosecurity NZ said it was planning to discuss the situation with key stakeholders in the region over the next couple of weeks.

- NZPA

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from The Country

The Country

Erica Stanford on Act's immigration plan

04 May 01:42 AM
The Country

'Forced off the land': Lifestyle block owner hits out at city's plan to make rates 'fairer'

03 May 11:38 PM
The Country

Farmers should be paid to use methane-busting tools - agritech leaders

03 May 11:24 PM

Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from The Country

Erica Stanford on Act's immigration plan
The Country

Erica Stanford on Act's immigration plan

On today's show: Erica Stanford, Tom Young, Pita Alexander and Phil Duncan.

04 May 01:42 AM
'Forced off the land': Lifestyle block owner hits out at city's plan to make rates 'fairer'
The Country

'Forced off the land': Lifestyle block owner hits out at city's plan to make rates 'fairer'

03 May 11:38 PM
Farmers should be paid to use methane-busting tools - agritech leaders
The Country

Farmers should be paid to use methane-busting tools - agritech leaders

03 May 11:24 PM


Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt
Sponsored

Future of wealth in NZ: A conversation with ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt

03 May 11:20 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • NZME Digital Performance Marketing
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2026 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP