Jerome Chua, master’s student
As a graduate of Singapore Institute of Technology – Massey University joint Bachelor of Food Technology, I never imagined I’d end up on a fishing vessel off the coast of Taranaki, while undertaking a master’s in food technology. But that’s exactly where I found myself—alongside Rob Ansley, skipper of Layla and managing director of Ocean Pearl Fisheries, testing a bait I helped design: the crayfish sea sausage.
It all started when Rob and Keith Mawson from Egmont Seafoods approached Massey looking for a solution. The rig fishery in Taranaki was struggling. Traditional methods like set nets and trawling had been pushed further off the coast to protect Māui dolphins, and longlining—more dolphin-friendly—was proving ineffective. Rig, also known as lemon fish and very popular as a fish-and-chip fish, just weren’t taking the hook.
Rob had tried crab and crayfish legs as bait. While rig clearly loved cray, the bait disintegrated quickly in seawater and required labour-intensive preparation for the baiting process. That’s when I was brought in, with this project opportunity having been advised to recent Bachelor’s graduates. With a background in food formulation, I saw the challenge not just as a fishing problem—but as a material science puzzle.
Could we turn crayfish waste—specifically from Fiordland Lobster Company—into something durable enough to stay on a hook, yet still appealing to rig? Over eight months, I developed what we now call the sea sausage: a compact, protein-rich bait held together with a proprietary binder system. It was durable, easy to use, and—most importantly—irresistible to rig.
When we first tested it, I was cautiously optimistic. Rob, too, was sceptical—worried the bait wouldn’t appeal to the fish. But within hours of the trial starting, we saw results. The rig were biting. “We’re away,” Rob said, grinning. That was the moment I knew we’d created something special.
The sausage doesn’t just work—it’s sustainable. It uses crayfish parts that would otherwise go to landfill (due to how mortalities within a live capture industry need to be dealt with). Using alternative baits reduces reliance on traditional bait stocks, helping to conserve these resources. Additionally, it maintains the ecological balance by keeping rig populations in check, benefitting crayfish fisheries.
This project wasn’t just about inventing a new bait. It was about collaboration—between fishers, processors, scientists, and government agencies. The Ministry for Primary Industries supported our trials, the Bioresource Processing Alliance (BPA) helped fund the research, and the Venture Taranaki-Massey University partnership helped connect the dots.
I’m proud to have contributed not only to the science but to something with real-world impact—helping protect our marine life while keeping fish on our plates.
Photos courtesy of Seafood New Zealand.
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