Our work monitoring the juvenile pāua around Kaikōura has shown encouraging signs of recovery of this hardhit population. Wild pāua tagged a year ago have had excellent growth rates and survival. They’re quickly advancing through the size classes and will soon migrate to deeper waters and join the adult spawning groups, a key step in recovery. The abundance of pāua at our sites is increasing significantly through time, and we are seeing much higher numbers than we did in the
early days after the earthquake. Hatchery-raised reseed pāua planted in 2018 by the Pāua Industry Council have also shown excellent survival and growth. While things are looking good overall, some sites have been significantly impacted by large gravel movement, erosion and sedimentation, which can compromise pāua habitat and cause mortality.