Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity

NIWA staff taking a ‘grab’ of Tauranga Harbour sediments to survey sediment-dwelling fauna.

Surveys of 16 ports and marinas around New Zealand have revealed more than 100 species that are new to science.

In 2001, Biosecurity New Zealand contracted NIWA to survey 13 New Zealand ports and 3 marinas of first entry for international vessels, ranging from Opua to Bluff. The surveys will provide baseline information on native and non-native flora and fauna in New Zealand’s ports.

Our baseline surveys recorded more than 1300 species, including 125 that are known or suspected of being introduced to New Zealand, 19 of which had not been previously found in our waters. Among these are some notorious invaders (such as the caprellid amphipod, Caprella mutica) and some relative novices (such as the cancrid crabs, Cancer amphioetus and Cancer gibbosulus).

In addition, we discovered 100 species that are new to science. More than 30 specialist taxonomists from New Zealand and overseas have been involved in identifying the species, and have examined more than 24 000 specimens. The new species discovered are now awaiting formal description and naming.

We are now in the process of re-surveying the 16 sites for Biosecurity New Zealand to estimate the rate of entry of introduced species. Seven of the sites were re-surveyed in 2004–05, with the remainder due to be surveyed by the end of the summer.