A millennium of change
Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity, Fisheries
Ever wondered what life was like in the seas around New Zealand 1000 years ago, before human settlement? Or how things have changed since the first Polynesians or Europeans arrived, or even since modern industrial fishing began, around 60 years ago?
Sperm-whaling off the New Zealand coast, 1838. (Ref: A–032–026, Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand)
An ambitious NIWA-led project is working to assess changes that humans and climatic fluctuations have made to coastal and continental shelf environments over the past millennium.
Initially, researchers are gathering climatic, archaeological, and historic data, and also collecting oral histories from elderly Māori and non-Māori fishers – people who were around before industrial fishing began. The focus is on two contrasting locations: the northeastern coast, which was settled very early, and the Otago/Catlins region, where intense fishing activities have occurred relatively recently.
From here, scientists will build models to describe coastal ecosystems for five key historic time periods. "Understanding the important interactions that have occurred in the past will help guide us in identifying priorities and options for future marine management," says lead researcher, Dr Alison MacDiarmid.
The three-year project is funded by the Ministry of Fisheries and involves 25 scientists from all over New Zealand.