is the home of New Zealand's largest commercial axolotl breeding operation. The huge demand for axolotls is a continuing surprise to Keith Austen, Bullswool's owner. He can only contribute their popularity to the fact that they are good for their owners' self esteem.  As Keith sees it, "No matter how unattractive and out-of-sorts you may feel, you can always look at your axolotl, and somehow feel reassured that, by comparison, you don't really have it all that bad." If you feel that your life would be enhanced by the addition of an axolotl, they are available at Bullswool Farm from $20.00 each (although stocks are sometimes low - it pays to ring first if you are making a special trip).  A range of tanks and bowls are also for sale, along with full instructions on how to take good care of an axolotl... HOWEVER, for the axolotl loving and owning die-hards who turn up wanting a guided tour of our ponds, while both the we and the axolotls are flattered by your interest, the bottom-dwelling habits of axolotls means they are not visable in the breeding ponds, and as much fun as it is spending an afternoon poking around in ponds trying to locate them

, and explaining the reproductive quirks, we really do not have time for such things, and this is not a service we offer. Six Completely Useless Facts Axolotls are still in their larval state. In their mature state they become Tiger Salamanders - just as tadpoles are larvae, which then mature into frogs. Axolotls very rarely become Tiger Salamanders. Tiger Salamanders are known to be even more ugly and boring than axolotls. Axolotls are one of the only animals in the world who are able to breed in their larval state. If a axolotl eats the feet and legs of another axolotl, they will grow back again. This handy skill helps axolotls survive when food is scarce. Axolotls breathe through their gills, and cannot survive on land. Axolotls don’t have teeth, and being bitten by one is like being nibbled by a sponge. They are eaten in Mexico. (Please do not ask us what axolotls taste like, we have not tried theSearch more Food & Drink Manufacturers Businesses for sale in Waikato

Mussel Farming Business Opportunity In New Zealand For Sale View all 5 photos Carbon positive, organic and green. Greenshell™ mussel farming in New Zealand. Units for sale in the pristine waters of the Wilson’s Bay area in the Firth of Thames.Prom Dress Outlet Stores Toronto We offer a number of renewable 35 year GovernmentReplacing Shower Tub Faucet Tips leases for mussel farming water. Laptop Sata Hard Drive Power CableThe water is situated in the pristine waters of the Wilson’s Bay area of the Firth of Thames on New Zealand’s North Island. Each unit consists of two 8 hectare blocks (total 16 hectares or 40 acres) capable of producing around 1400 tonnes of New Zealand Greenshell™ mussels

The price is NZ$160,000 per hectare, plus refundable GST tax. Fully managed operations are possible if required. Please see weblink below and complete the 'contact seller' form below for more information. The pristine waters of the Wilson’s Bay area in the Firth of Thames. On the western side of the Coromandel Peninsula on the North island of New Zealand. Water depth approx 18 - 20 metres. Size in square feet: 8 hectares (20 acres) each block. Guaranteed future expansion as any buyers of this water will have a free option on future allocations (2-5 years out). Other proven mussel farms operate in the area. Surplus to requirements - much being retained by owners. New opportunity - marine farming consents just allocated after 17 year process! Full farm management package available if required. Owner financing is available. Please contact the seller for more information. Possible but not guaranteed. Login or register to view link

Business closed / Asset sale: This business can be run from home. If you own a business and are considering selling, visit our Sell a Business section. Limited Free Trial available. Auckland's Largest Aquarium Specialists, with 2 branches - Albany & Mt Roskill. Come in & see us - we know our stuff! Established for over 40 years 85 Photos and videosGreen-lipped mussels are New Zealand’s major aquaculture species. This information sheet explores how green-lipped mussels are farmed in New Zealand, the way that the industry has developed and the challenges that mussel farmers face. Farmed mussels on longlines Most green-lipped mussels in New Zealand are farmed in the same way. Spat (juvenile mussels) are collected from Ninety Mile Beach and elsewhere in New Zealand, where they wash up in their millions attached to clumps of seaweed. After arriving at a mussel farm, spat are transferred to nursery ropes and grown on the ropes in seawater until about 6 months of age.

At this point, they are removed and reseeded onto longlines (stretches of rope up to several kilometres long) that are suspended between buoys.Mussels are grown for a further 9–12 months before they are harvested. Mussel barges, which harvest the mussels, are highly mechanised and contain equipment for removing mussels from lines, then declumping, washing, sorting and packing them. Interactive: How mussels are farmed in New Zealand You can learn more about how green-lipped mussels are farmed in New Zealand by exploring the interactive Mussel farming in New Zealand.Because most farmed green-lipped mussels are grown from wild spat, farmed and wild mussels are not distinct populations. Many aspects of their life cycle and living conditions are identical – both farmed and wild mussels feed on phytoplankton and mate by means of broadcast spawning. Both are susceptible to predation, infestation by parasites and accumulation of toxins. NZ marine farm locations Most of New Zealand’s mussel farms are located in the same areas of the country where wild mussels thrive – in the waters around the coastline of the North Island, the top of the South Island and Stewart Island.

Mussel farms also require relatively sheltered water (so that farming and harvesting are not disrupted by rough seas). For this reason, the Marlborough Sounds and the Coromandel/Hauraki Gulf are key mussel farming areas. There are over 600 mussel farms in New Zealand, and they cover thousands of hectares of marine space. Value of green-lipped mussel exports in 2012 Mussel farming is important to New Zealand’s economy. The sale of green-lipped mussels for human consumption is worth over $200 million, with most of that revenue coming from exporting mussels. In addition, a large number of mussels are processed to obtain biopharmaceuticals and health supplements (mussel extracts that are used to treat inflammation, joint pain and other complaints). Professor Andrew Jeffs (Leigh Marine Laboratory) estimates that this sector of the mussel industry could be worth more than $40 million.Mussel farming in New Zealand developed to meet demand from consumers after the supply of wild mussels collapsed in the 1960s.

Before that time, wild green-lipped mussels were harvested by dredges (boats that scraped beds of mussels from the seafloor, particularly in the Hauraki Gulf and Marlborough Sounds) as well as by hand (from intertidal rocks at the shore).Over about 50 years, dredging removed most of the accessible mussel beds from the seafloor, and the mussels did not regrow – by the early 1960s, mussel beds in the Hauraki Gulf were ‘fished out’. Even now, most mussel beds have not recovered. Virtually all green-lipped mussels eaten worldwide are now sourced from farms.Since its beginnings in the late 1960s, New Zealand’s mussel farming industry has grown rapidly. Several key developments have driven the New Zealand mussel farming industry forward. Some of the most important advances are described below. How things had been done before Advantages of the new approach Using spat from Ninety Mile Beach (Kaitaia spat) to seed mussel farms throughout New Zealand. Individual farmers had collected spat or put out ropes to encourage spat to seed onto them.

Plentiful supply of spat for mussel farming. High-density supply (up to 2 million spat per kilogram of seaweed). Using longlines attached to buoys as support structures for mussel ropes (droppers). Square concrete rafts had been moored in the water and used to hang mussel lines, but there were concerns about collision with boats. Also, mussels hanging from droppers in the centre of rafts tended to have limited access to phytoplankton and therefore to grow more slowly. Cheaper and safer way to farm mussels. Additional buoys can be added as the mussels on the lines become heavier. Using ‘mussock’ (cotton stocking) to seed spat onto ropes. Spat seeding was laborious. One approach was to wrap Kaitaia spat (on seaweed) around ropes by hand then wrap a lacy bandage around it. Spat can be seeded very rapidly by placing it inside mussock along with a length of rope. The filled mussock is placed in the water, where spat transfers to the rope. Mussock degrades over time, leaving a mussel rope covered in spat.

Mussels seeded onto continuous rope. Mussels were seeded onto individual (short) dropper ropes, which were hung off longlines. Seeding onto continuous rope (a kilometre or more) meant mussels could be stripped from ropes by machine. Highly mechanised barges for harvesting. Stripping mussels from lines, declumping, cleaning and packaging was often done by hand or on shore. More rapid and efficient harvest of mussels from lines. Mussels are stripped, declumped, washed and sorted on board the barge. Like all farmers, mussel farmers in New Zealand face challenges at several steps of the farming process. Some of the most significant challenges include: Get interactive: How mussels are farmed in New ZealandRecently, Oliver Trottier and his colleagues from Leigh Marine Laboratory have identified an additional threat to mussel farming. Oliver has shown that the New Zealand pea crab, which inhabits green-lipped mussels, can decrease the growth of mussels on farms significantly.