Towards an LEK-informed conceptual model of Greenshell mussel spat catching: Pelorus Sound and Wainui Bay, New Zealand : A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Planning at Lincoln University

Abstract

New Zealand is the leading producer of mussels in Oceania with a total production of 94 thousand tonnes per year from 2010 to 2015 (Wijsman, Troost, Fang, & Roncarati, 2019). New Zealand is known for endemic mussel specie, Perna Canaliculus, also known as green-shelled mussels (green mussels). Traditionally, up to eighty percent of P. Canaliculus spat came from Ninety-mile Beach where vast quantities of spat wash up along with macroalgae. Mussels spats are also locally caught in “Wainui Bay, Aotea, Harbour, Kawhia harbour, Opotiki and Pelorus Sound” which provides up to 30 percent of the national spat requirement (Atalah & Forrest, 2019; Aquaculture NZ, 2020). There was no literature on the local ecological knowledge (LEK) of local spat catching. Therefore, this dissertation examined the extent of LEK of the local spat catchers that can help planners understand the socio-ecological environment of spat catching. The Pelorus Sound and Wainui Bay were elected as the quintain, and the spat catchers within the areas were the cases respective to each area. The semi-structured interviews with interactive components were conducted with scientists, planners and spat catchers to fully conceptualise the regulatory, biophysical factors, technology involved and community interactions that characterise the spat catching LEK. The result has shown that replacement coastal permit pathway and the rules within the regional council was relevant to both Wainui Bay and Pelorus Sound. The spat catcher can develop more effort to develop social licence to operate (SLO) if necessary. The biophysical factors identified in LEK sometimes aligned or were inconclusive with current scientific knowledge because the spat catchers were too reliant on spatfall monitoring system. The method of spat catching depended upon the geographical location and was divided into two methods; shallow and deep spat catching which utilised the knowledge of water column. There were variation in configuration and materials used for spat catching which reflected that the LEK was driven economic success, not by cultural or spiritual beliefs. The findings from the interview and body of literature were included in conceptual input-output diagrams that outlined the LEK. The input-output model received feedbacks from the planners who were interviewed. The planners all stated that the model could be used as an educational tool for planners who are new to aquaculture and coastal planning. Therefore the primary benefits from this research are not perhaps the original questions about the values of LEK for planners but the value of the diagram in itself and the process that the author went through to develop the map that resulted in a practical and useful tool for planners especially planners who are not familiar with the aquaculture and coastal environment.