Innovation fund

The fund introduces new approaches, capability, research and researchers to Sustainable Seas. It supports projects up to a value of $150k a year for 2 years.

The projects either ‘enhance utilisation of our marine resources within environmental and biological constraints’ and complement research already funded by Sustainable Seas, or ‘increase diversification in marine economies’, ie add value to the marine economy.

Projects

Our Seas

• Testing participatory processes for marine management
• Enabling inter-agency collaboration on cumulative effects

Valuable Seas

• Ocean acidification mitigation strategies for the mussel industry
• Re-use of offshore infrastructure and platforms: assessing value to communities, industry and environment 
• Forecasting contamination risk for shellfish harvest and beach use
• Huataukīna tō iwi e: Developing marine bioactives from kina
• Early detection of harmful algal blooms
• Energy from tidal currents—Kick-starting a new marine industry with huge potential​​​​​​​
• New blue economy in Kaikōura: a participatory process approach​​​​​​​

Dynamic Seas

• Submarine canyons: connecting coastal and deep-sea ecosystems​​​​​​​
• Sediment tolerance and mortality thresholds of benthic habitats​​​​​​​
• Quantifying marine biodiversity using environmental DNA
• Estimating historic effects from sedimentation and fishing
• Defining rocky reef tipping points associated with the Kaikōura earthquake​​​​​​​

Managed Seas

• Defining marine habitat use by seabirds​​​​​​​