Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity

 

Scientists sort biological samples onboard RV Tangaroa. (Photo: Scott Nodder, NIWA)

Unexplained hexagonal life forms, swimming sea cucumbers, and an old boot lying on the seafloor 1800 m down. These were just some of the unusual sights captured by NIWA’s Deep Towed Imaging System from RV Tangaroa during recent Ocean Survey 20/20 voyages to the Chatham Rise and Challenger Plateau.

The information gathered – including multibeam sonar data, thousands of still and video images, and five tonnes of biological and sediment samples – will be used to map and characterise seafloor habitats and assess and describe biodiversity in these two contrasting areas.

The project will provide significant new information about the biodiversity of seafloor communities, particularly for soft sediment areas which cover much of New Zealand’s EEZ. This will ultimately improve New Zealand’s Marine Environment Classification system, and aid decisions about Marine Protected Areas and managing interactions between fishing and seafloor biodiversity.

The Ocean Survey 20/20 Chatham-Challenger project is led by the Ministry of Fisheries in collaboration with NIWA, Land Information New Zealand, and the Department of Conservation. See www.fish.govt.nz ‘Hot topics’.