Harvesting New Zealand cockles

Educational value

• The New Zealand cockle ('Austrovenus stutchburyi') is a type of bivalve found only in coastal areas of New Zealand. It lives in shallow waters buried in the soft mud or fine sand of sand flats, eelgrass beds and estuaries. The New Zealand cockle is also known by its Maori names, tuaki or tuangi.
• The New Zealand cockle has a thick heavy shell that protects it from predators and from drying out. While they are normally buried in sand or mud, they can survive short periods out of the water. Cockles are filter feeders that sieve microscopic plankton out of the water in which they float.
• Cockles play an important role in marine food chains and are also good indicators of environmental health. By feeding upon plankton, cockles help to manage plankton density and prevent phytoplankton blooms, which reduce oxygen availability. Cockles are a food source for marine animals such as birds and crabs. As a filter feeder, cockles may also accumulate toxins from the environment, which can tell us a lot about marine pollution.
• Cockles have historically been a popular source of food for Maori peoples. They are still recreationally harvested in many parts of New Zealand. They are also commercially harvested in some places and the government has imposed strict quotas to manage their numbers.

Year level

5; 6; 7; 8

Topics Fishing Clams