Cawthron Institute

🔬 Looking for a new role in 2025? Cawthron Laboratories have provided trusted laboratory testing services to Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and natural products sector for over 40 years, helping our customers meet food safety and export requirements. We’re currently recruiting in our microbiology labs team, so if you’re looking for your next opportunity, visit our careers page to find out more: https://lnkd.in/gsz9ACsY

Earlier this year, Cawthron Institute's Chief Science Officer Dr Cath McLeod penned an op-ed for Newsroom NZ, making the case for a national marine bioresources innovation platform. If you're interested in how we think science can unlock the potential of marine bioresources like #seaweed, #microalgae, #shellfish and #finfish to support the sustainable growth of Aotearoa New Zealand's economy, add this article to your summer reading list.

If you missed this year's Thomas Cawthron Memorial Lecture, your summer break might be a nice time to catch up. Cawthron's Dr Xavier Pochon gave an inspiring presentation at our 2024 lecture about how sailors can become citizen scientists and help us fill vital knowledge gaps about the diversity and health of our oceans. Xavier was instrumental in the establishment of Citizens of the Sea - a philanthropic organisation co-founded by Cawthron Institute and New Zealand Geographic - to mobilise and equip seafarers to generate ocean data and support ocean health. 🎥 Check out the video below to hear more from Xavier about some of the science behind this impactful initiative.

Looking for an exciting new aquaculture position in 2025? We are currently seeking technicians to work at our aquaculture park in Whakatū Nelson. The roles will involve assisting with our finfish, seaweed and oyster research programmes and commercial trials and include a wide range of work. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/gsz9ACsY

‘Nutritional geometry approach to revolutionise diets for sustainable #aquaculture growth’ – A government-funded Smart Ideas project led by Cawthron's Dr Matt Miller that aims to optimise farmed #salmon nutrition to improve metabolism and health. 🎥 Check out the video below for more from Matt on how the project is set to improve the productivity of marine farming by increasing fillet yield and reducing waste.

🌊 🔬 Five Years, 100 Papers, 20 New Biosecurity Tools and a Brighter Future for Our Oceans Our oceans and coasts face constant threats from invasive species, but as this year draws to a close, we’re celebrating a major milestone in the fight for their protection. After five years of global collaboration, the Cawthron-led, government-funded #MarineBiosecurityToolbox research programme is complete! 💡 Here’s what we achieved: ✅ 20+ new biosecurity solutions to help us protect marine ecosystems and detect, manage and respond to marine pests. ✅ 100+ academic papers advancing global understanding of biosecurity. ✅ Hundreds of workshops and outreach events connecting researchers, industry, biosecurity managers and communities. Our mission was simple but critical: create science-based tools to empower governments, tangata whenua, industry, and the public to safeguard our oceans. From preventing pest establishment to enabling rapid detection and effective responses, these tools are already helping to build stronger biosecurity systems that protect marine environments and the communities that rely on them. Want to see how these new tools are shaping the future of marine biosecurity in Aotearoa NZ and around the world? Check out this wrap-up video and visit https://lnkd.in/gWPnK_wm.

Marine cyanobacteria have been a growing issue in Aotearoa New Zealand over the past two summers, particularly around Waiheke Island. Unfortunately, this summer is no different, with the bloom already returning and spreading further each year. Rising sea temperatures are likely to make this worse in the coming years. That's why I'm happy to share that our paper on the risks and challenges posed by marine cyanobacteria has just been published! We highlight the need for more research, especially toxicity studies now that we know these toxins can accumulate in seafood | kaimoana 🐚 Thanks to the Cawthron Institute for some internal capability fund, the important Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment SSIF Seafood Safety Platform and Auckland Council for supporting this work. You can find more info here on the issues NZ is facing: https://lnkd.in/gDKdTgeU

A huge congratulations to our #CawthronLaboratories team who have been named 'Service Supplier of the Year' by Natural Health Products NZ in their annual awards. Our Labs team is really proud to receive this award because it recognises their deliberate approach to go above and beyond for our customers in the food and natural products sectors by offering tailored testing services and flexible, wrap-around support that helps them meet food safety and export requirements.

In conjunction with the Joint Graduate School with The University of Auckland (UoA), we have a funded PhD opportunity for a student to evaluate trophic interactions among low-trophic species to enable informed species selection. The student would be based at Cawthron Aquaculture Park in Whakatū Nelson. To learn more and apply, please view the listing here: https://lnkd.in/gx2f72YN

Cawthron freshwater ecologist and science communicator Katharina (Kati) Doehring and her colleagues Nancy Longnecker and Cathy Cole recently published this great article in The Conversation Australia + NZ about how authentic, local and collective storytelling can help to support transition in land use and freshwater ecosystem restoration. The trio have been working with LAWA (Land Air Water Aotearoa) to empower communities to share their restoration knowledge as “Actions for Healthy Waterways” in the form of stories. "Beyond reporting facts and figures alone, stories represent more meaningful narratives that others striving for healthy waterways can relate to." #FreshwaterEcology #EnvironmentalRestoration #ScienceCommunication