A NIWA-led programme to develop effective, and culturally-attuned strategies for managing the freshwater gold clam.
Stopping the spread of the freshwater gold clam (Corbicula fluminea) is of critical importance for preserving native biodiversity, protecting infrastructure, and maintaining the cultural and recreational value of Aotearoa-New Zealand's waters.
Alongside establishing practical control methods, the research programme will determine the gold clam’s ecological, social, cultural and economic impacts in Aotearoa-New Zealand, and predict its spread for early detection and targeted intervention.
This MBIE-funded Endeavour research programme will:
Understand the impacts of the gold clam (ecological, economic, and cultural)
Predict dispersal and future establishment enabling the prioritisation of locations for monitoring and early intervention
Develop a suite of effective interventions (tools) to reduce the risk of transfer and to manage the gold clam at different scales.
Key collaborators include NIWA, Ngaati Koroki Kahukura, Waikato Tainui, Raukawa, University of Waikato, and international experts.
A dive survey of Lakes Maraetai and Karaapiro was conducted in May 2025. Multiple sites were surveyed as part of the programme aim to assess changes in population structure and spatial spread over time. This survey will be repeated in 2026 and 2027 to understand how the abundance of clams and kaakahi at these different sites changes.
Juvenile gold clams are difficult to detect in aquatic environments due to their small size. To survey gold clam infested environments NIWA are testing Hester-Dendy multi-plate samplers. In March 2025, 16 samplers were deployed at Bob’s Landing, Lake Karāpiro.
International collaboration - Brian Smith (NIWA) and Dr Yu Cao (Wuhan Botanic Gardens, Chinese Academy of Science) examining the clams at the lakeside clam hui.
Research is been undertaken at NIWA’s Ruakura Aquatic Research Facility and by our international collaborator Dr Yu Cao (Wuhan Botanic Gardens) to understand the impact of high clam population densities on aquatic plants.
Dissections help us understand the anatomy and function of this newly-introduced invasive species and how they are adapting to the New Zealand environment.
