Science Centres: Aquatic Biodiversity and Biosecurity

A recent marine survey in Fiordland found an exciting deep water community, including new species completely unknown to science.

See the video from our remote underwater camera.

Last month, a team from DOC, NIWA and the Fiordland Marine Guardians carried out a ten-day survey of the creatures living up to 200 metres deep in the fiords of Doubtful and Dusky Sounds. Little is known about what lives within this unique fiord ecosystem below diveable depths, and it had previously been supposed that there was not much life on the steep rock walls of the fiords below 40 metres.

"We found much more diverse communities than we ever expected,” says Kath Blakemore, marine ranger at the Te Anau office of the Department of Conservation (DOC). At some sites, Fiordland black corals were found below 100 m depth and the diversity of encrusting animals remained high.

Project leader Dr Trevor Willis of the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research (NIWA) describes the Fiordland deep reefs as a “treasure trove of marine biodiversity”.

“There is a mixture of southern, cold-water fauna, New Zealand-wide species, and species that normally occur only in much deeper water. In some animal groups, diversity is as high as recognised ‘hot spots’ like the Three Kings Islands.”

As part of the implementation of the Fiordland Marine Management Act 2005, the Fiordland Marine Guardians and DOC, in conjunction with other management agencies, are carrying out a monitoring and research plan for the Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area. This research is part of this plan, and is intended to increase knowledge of the area and contribute to understanding of the fiord ecosystem processes and management of the Fiords marine environment.

Fiordland Marine Guardians Chair Malcolm Lawson says the Fiordland Marine Guardians are very pleased with the results of the latest survey. “This, and the earlier survey work, is making a hugely positive scientific contribution and demonstrates how much there is still to learn about this area, especially when the sampled areais overlaidagainst the larger Fiordland Marine Area".

As an added bonus, it is believed that a suite of new species and new records will be added to those already known from Fiordland waters as a result of these surveys.

“We have video of a sea pen (a soft coral-like animal) that we have sent to an expert in California, and he agrees that it is probably a new species, as well as footage of soft corals, sea squirts and a fish that may also be new to science” says Dr Willis.

Fiord wall surveys were done using a remotely operated vehicle - or ROV – a small submersible equipped with a video camera that was “flown” from the support vessel above. Fish surveys were done using a baited underwater video system – effectively a baited camera - that was lowered onto the floor of the fiords to over 200 metres depth. The baited camera filmed blue cod, large hapuka (groper), several species of shark, and other scavengers. “It is a means of finding out more about how the fiord ecosystems work, and could be a useful tool for monitoring changes in fish abundance Fiordland,” Dr Willis says.

The video material will be analysed over the next few months to assess biodiversity, characterise the species composition of these deeper areas, and how these change with depth and distance along the fiord.

At the same time, NIWA taxonomic experts are working on identifying some of the unknown animals that were captured on video.

Contact for comment:

NIWA
Dr Trevor Willis
Tel: 03 545 7747
Mob: 021 226 9815

Fiordland Marine Guardians
Malcolm Lawson
Tel: 03 484 7474
Mob: 027 209 0762

Kath Blakemore
Department of Conservation, Te Anau
Tel: 03 249 0221
Mob: 021 343 736

Background

1. Fiordland is home to New Zealand’s largest mar ine managed area. The Fiordland (Te Moana o Atawhenua) Marine Area is 882,000 hectares. (An international rugby field is ~1.008 ha). The region has 10 small marine reserves,  where no fishing or disturbance of any kind is permitted, reduced catch limits for recreational fishers, commercial fishing exclusion zones, and areas recognised for their high biodiversity values called ‘china shops’.
2. The dive team also surveyed six of the marine reserves to determine whether lobster and fish densities have changed since the reserves were implemented in 2005. Results are being analysed by NIWA and will be provided to DOC later this year.
3. More background on Fiordland’s unique marine environment: www.fmg.org.nz

Images

Underwater video footage, from the ROV and baited underwater video camera, is available on request from:

Michele Hollis, NIWA Communications Manager

Tel: 04 386 0483 Mob: 027 255 2500