Informing the rebuild of Aotearoa’s intertidal sandflats

Tuangi or cockles (Austrovenus stutchburyi) are taonga for mana whenua and are integral to the functioning of Aotearoa’s estuaries (supporting primary production, nutrient cycling, and food webs). The large adults underpin ecological functioning and are of critical cultural importance, however they have disappeared from the Hauraki Gulf (HG) due to various disturbances (e.g., heat waves, over-harvesting), leaving populations comprised mainly of small individuals (< 20 mm shell height). Populations are not recovering even with harvesting bans as predicted by population growth models. This pattern is replicated in other habitat-forming shellfish species, challenging management approaches that focus on reducing stressors without considering the ecological interactions that drive recovery. Since tuangi have not been completely lost, we have a window of opportunity to work with natural ecological processes to kick start recovery. This interdisciplinary project led by Dr Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher aims to build the science needed to identify critical ecological feedbacks in habitat-forming shellfish beds that are preventing recovery and inform actions to solve these bottlenecks.

 About the researcher

Dr Rebecca Gladstone-Gallagher, Institute of Marine Science