Mr Hodgson said the mussel industry had acted responsibly in adhering to a voluntary ban on transfers of mussel spat from Northland. Eighty to ninety percent of the mussel spat used in New Zealand comes from Ninety Mile Beach, where it is collected on seaweed washed ashore. Structures similar to marine farms are used to catch spat elsewhere. The industry is also funding research to find out whether spat infected with algae can be treated and safely grown. The ministry has approved the removal of spat from Northland for this research, which is being done on a land-based fish farm.
Algal blooms are a chronic problem for marine farming worldwide.
The approach taken by the New Zealand Industry so far has been both innovative and thorough, and it is entirely possible that new solutions to the problem will emerge.