After 15 years of research and development into hatchery production of spat, the industry still remains almost completely reliant on wild spat, because collecting wild spat is markedly cheaper than breeding mussels in a hatchery. However, it is likely hatcheries will become increasingly important in greenshell mussel aquaculture for two main reasons. First is the potential for producing a more valuable product because hatcheries are able to selectively breed for desired traits. Second, the reliability of hatchery seed is a more stable base for an industry relying on wild seed, particularly in years when wild spat numbers are low, and when the hatchery spat will attract a premium.