
Searching for Seagrass Seeds – A Community Adventure
On a crisp, sunny day, Cawthron institute facilitated a community seagrass seed collection day in collaboration with Tasman Bay Guardians, our Love Rimurimu team and other members of the community at the Waimea Inlet. The mission: gather seeds from New Zealand’s native seagrass, Zostera muelleri, as part of Cawthron’s groundbreaking project, Restoring Aotearoa New Zealand’s Seagrass Meadows.
From a distance, anyone watching might have wondered if we were desperately searching for lost contact lenses, heads bent low, hands sweeping through seagrass beds with intense focus. In reality, we were hunting for tiny, hair-like seagrass flowers, a task more challenging than finding a needle in a haystack. These flowers are incredibly cryptic, blending seamlessly into the green underwater world. Spotting them required sharp eyes, patience, and the occasional tactile assist – gently feeling the seagrass stalks to distinguish between leaves and seed-bearing structures.

A Hidden Treasure
Until recently, seagrass in Aotearoa was thought to rarely flower or set seed. However, Cawthron’s marine ecologists, led by Dr. Dana Clark, have debunked this myth. Their research reveals that seagrass flowering happens reliably from October to February, with a peak in December.

This past summer, the team collected nearly 3,000 seagrass flowers across study sites in Waimea, Delaware/Wakapuaka, and the Haven estuaries. After transport to Cawthron’s National Algae Research Centre (NARC), these flowers were placed into bubbling water tanks—a “seagrass spa”—to stay oxygenated and encourage natural seed development.

Sea Grass Seeds of Hope
Thanks to these efforts, nearly 600 viable seagrass seeds are now being prepped for germination trials—an exciting first for Aotearoa. This research lays the foundation for future restoration projects, providing iwi and hapori (communities) with tools to restore essential marine habitats. Many hands made light work during our collection day, proving that conservation truly is a collective effort.

We’re grateful to all who supported this mahi, including Rātā Foundation and Wai Connection. Stay tuned for more updates as we work together to restore the life-giving meadows of the moana (ocean).