Key environmental considerations for seaweed aquaculture in Aotearoa New Zealand

Marine farmers across Aotearoa New Zealand are interested in expanding into seaweed aquaculture, particularly mussel farmers looking to add seaweeds to their existing consents. To help facilitate the consent application process, this report compares the environmental effects of seaweed and mussel aquaculture and proposes some key management considerations.

We conclude that the environmental effects of a seaweed farm are likely to be less than, or similar to, those of a mussel farm of equal scale. Consequently, if the environmental effects of a mussel farm have been evaluated and deemed acceptable, the same site should be able to accommodate the environmental effects of seaweed farming.