Seabirds and fisheries
Rock lobster travel routes
A window on recreational fisheries
Balancing the ecosystem around mussel farms
System design involving co-culture of kingfish, mussels, seaweed, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers.
NIWA is working the mussel farming industry to trial a ‘multi-trophic co-culture’ system, where fed species are cultured alongside ecologically complementary species that extract waste from the surrounding water.
Johny Wright (left) and Cedric Simon (right) holding a prototype sea-cage. (Photo: Phil James, NIWA)
Rafts at Mahanga Bay. (Photo: Phil James, NIWA)
NIWA scientists have achieved excellent survival and growth rates in recent trials on-growing rock lobster using sea-cages designed and tested inhouse.
This work to develop economically viable ways to farm rock lobster was initiated in response to large settlements of juvenile rock lobster (puerulus) and an expression by the aquaculture industry to make use of this natural abundance.
Recreational fishermen (Photo: Crispin Middelton, NIWA)
Many New Zealanders – more than 25% of the population – take part in some form of marine recreational fishing. The Ministry of Fisheries is gathering information on the nature and extent of recreational fisheries to help allocate fisheries resources among all users in a fair and sustainable manner.
Over the past four years, MFish has commissioned NIWA to survey several recreational fisheries around the country.
Foraging seabirds. (Photo: Peter Marriott, NIWA)
NIWA is engaged in several Ministry of Fisheries-funded projects to investigate the impacts of fisheries on New Zealand’s diverse seabird fauna. The results will help guide initiatives by industry and government agencies to minimise seabird bycatch in fisheries.
The Ministry of Fisheries (MFish) recently awarded NIWA a five-year contract to investigate seabird population dynamics in relation to fishing activities.
