Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity

Thirty authors contributed to the writing of this book, including many NIWA staff.

NIWA scientists Neil Andrew and Malcolm Francis discuss The Living Reef with the Minister of Fisheries.

From the vertical walls and caves of the Poor Knights Islands to the unlimited visibility and bizarre life forms under the sea ice of Antarctica, our coastal waters support an astounding array of marine organisms. A newly released book, The Living Reef, edited by NIWA scientists Neil Andrew and Malcolm Francis, offers a fascinating insight into this unique undersea world.

The book’s 32 chapters focus on key species of New Zealand fish, invertebrate, and plant life, including giant kelp, kina, paua, snapper, and blue cod, while also profiling some of our most important marine ecosystems from the Kermadec Islands to Fiordland and Antarctica. It is a landmark publication in the field of marine biology and ecology, concentrating on the broad patterns of shallow subtidal reefs and the species and processes responsible for the way the reefs look as we swim over them.

The Living Reef includes an overview of the large-scale processes that shape our coastline; descriptions of the major groups of plants and animals that make up living reef communities; and a series of chapters dedicated to some of our most stunning natural ‘landscapes’, including the remote Auckland Islands and readily accessible places like Goat Island near Leigh. Thirty authors contributed to the writing of this book. ‘Bringing together the knowledge gathered from more than 30 years of subtidal research on New Zealand’s rocky reefs to a wide audience was a key motivation for assembling this book,’ said Dr Andrew. ‘It’s designed to offer something to many different groups of people, from recreational and commercial fishers, boaties, schools and universities, to the many thousands of people who snorkel and scuba dive on these reefs each year.’

‘We hope people will be motivated by this book to visit, enjoy, and study our submarine reefs, and to join the process of filling the many gaps in our knowledge of them.’

The Living Reef retails at $59.95 and is available from all good bookstores.

Neil Andrew [ n.andrew@niwa.co.nz ]
Malcolm Francis [ m.francis@niwa.co.nz ]

This book was made possible with financial and technical support from the Ministry of Fisheries and NIWA.