New Zealand
Ocean strips featuring marine creatures found in New Zealand's coastal waters
Orange Roughy was over-fished in the 1980s leading to population collapse.
One impact of Climate Change (increased world temperature due to increased greenhouse gases) is an increase in sea level. This will impact low-lying islands and many coastal environments.
New Zealand has three species of penguin and the Korora is the world's smallest. The large penguin featured in the strip is an Emperor penguin which is one of four penguin species that breeds on or near continental Antarctica.
More about penguins
April 2017 article about impact of the little ice age (1300 - mid1800s) on penguins and seals, they came north to New Zealand.
Climate change is impacting globally, both the arctic and the antarctic environments are changing. In 2017, catastrophic breeding failure in Antarctic Adelie penguins is due to the effect of global climate change.
In 2015 an Antarctic Blue Whale followed a NIWA research vessel 600 kms across the Southern Ocean
2015 News article-1, article-2, article-3.
For other Blue Whale strips see - O179 OS37 and O180 OS38
More about the Blue Whale
NZ-10 Hoki
Everyone likes bacon. In July, 2016 a truck trailer containing a load of pork chops rolled-off the Cook Strait ferry mid-voyage. News stories - Jul18 article-1, July19 article-2.
For more about Hoki see NZ-7
NZ-11 a-b-c Whitebait
Whitebait - is a collective term for the immature fry of fish. In NZ this term refers to the juvenile fish of five species of Galaxiid. Common galaxias (inanga), Climbing galaxias (koaro), Banded kokopu, Giant kokopu and Shortjaw kokpou.
Whitebait are usually caught from river banks near to the rivers mouth. The larvae have spent about six months in the coastal ocean after hatching and are now swimming back to their freshwater habitats.
Strips 11a and 11c are in Ocean Book-4. Strip 11b only on the webpage.
NZ-12 Trevally (Araara) and Tarakihi
Earthquakes can occur in faults on the ocean floor. These can change the ocean floor in a manner similar to slips and landslides on dry land. Earthquakes that originate in areas of open ocean can also lead to tsunamis that impact coastal environments. Studies have shown that the coastal waters of NZs has been impacted by both underwater landslides and tsunami.
More about Trevallly
Oysters and scallops are a favourite coastal catch and a popular item on restaurant menus.
Auckland Seafood Festival - end of January
Hokitika Wildfoods Festival - March
Bluff Oyster and Food Festival - May
Whitianga Scallop Festival - September
NZ-14 a-b Longfin Eels - Tuna Kuwharuwharu
Like whitebait we think of Longfin eels as inhabiting NZ rivers. Though, both have an important connection to the ocean as part of their lifecycle.
Longfin eels are long-lived species and take a number of years before they reach maturity. They mate only once at the end of their life. When they are ready to breed they travel to the ocean and then swim the 5000 kilometers to the tropical Pacific to spawn (understood to be in deep ocean trenches). Males make this journey when ~ 23 years old and females when ~34 years old. The hatched eel larvae travel back to NZ on ocean currents.
Episode 21 of TVNZ Rural Delivery - 2017 (shown July29) featured the lifecycle of the longfin eel and aquaculture research efforts to ensure their survival.
NZ-16 Maui's Dolphin - Popoto
Hector's dolphin is the only cetacean endemic to NZ and is one of the world's smallest.
There are two subspecies;
Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori
- found around the South Island
Cephalorhynchus hectori maui
- critically endangered and found off the north west coast of the North Island
Instances of these dolphins being caught in the nets of commercial fishing boats causes much protest.
More about the Hector's and Maui's Dolphins
The Vaquita is the rare porpoise (not a dolphin) found in the Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) between the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico.
The evening this strip was posted the TV news reported that a Cawthron Institute study of Hector's Dolphin in NZ coastal waters were of greater number than thought, maybe even up to 15,000 individuals.
October 2016 - news article reports disagreements over the remaining number of Maui's dolphin.
December 2016 - news article reports two commercial companies making an effort.
May 2019 - the news for Maui Dolphins is not great.
May 2019 - findings about a disease that dolphins catch from cats.
NZ-17 Longfinned Pilot Whales
The Chatham Islands are a stranding hot-spot for dolphins and whales. The toothed-whale species that strands most commonly on the Chatham Islands is the longfinned pilot whale, with over 4000 reported since 1901. Info-1, Info-2, Info-3, Info-4, Info-5.
February 9-10, 2017
More than 400 pilot whales stranded on a beach at the top of the South Island (Golden Bay, Farewell Spit) with much effort made to refloat the surviving whales and direct them out of harm, many of which only swam back into the bay.
NZ-18 Muttonbirds - Titi - Sooty Shearwater
Muttonbirds are dark brown, about the size of a duck. They spend the NZ winter in the North Pacific and return to NZ to breed. They next in burrows. They are collected for food and other uses by Maori and apparently taste like mutton.
The Mutton Birds (1991-2002).
E3 Call Home - Janet Hunt
is a great book about a Eastern Bar-Tailed Godwit called E3 and the Godwit's migration - where they raise their chicks on the Alaska tundra in the northern spring and in the southern summer spend time in the South Pacific and the coast of New Zealand. Limosa lapponica baueri - Eastern Bar-Tailed Godwit (Kuaka)
Circle - Jeannie Baker
Another great book about the migration of Godwits.
The New Zealand Ocean strips were created between Jun2-Aug4, 2016
and are collected in Ocean Book-4, except 11b.
Spotted The Fishes of New Zealand in a book shop over Christmas 2015, haven't had a chance to look through yet - link-1, link-2. It has just won an international book award - link-3, link-4.
For more about the ocean around New Zealand and the creatures that inhabit it ...
See:
October report - Ministry of Environment
And:
Department of Conservation - DOC
National Institute of Water and Atmosphere Research - NIWA
Te Ara - Encyclopedia of NZ - Marine Environments
In Wellington - Island Bay Marine Education Centre (Octopus Club)
In Auckland - Kelly Tarlton's Sea Life Aquarium
In Napier - National Aquarium of New Zealand
For even more and better pictures watch episodes of the NZTV documentary ...
Our Big Blue Backyard
season one - 2014
season two - 2016
I spotted their TV advert in Dec2016 - it featured longfin eels and little blue penguins. Cool.
