Marine NZ

Northland Marine Habitat Map Report
Author(s): Vince Kerr

The marine technical team at Northland Conservancy has completed a marine habitat map and habitat map report for the Northland section of the Northeast Marine Bioregion. The maps cover an area of 1.34 million hectares extending out 12 nautical miles from the coast between Ahipara in the west to Mangawhai on the east coast.

Habitats were classified according to the Marine Protected Areas Classification, Protection Standard and Implementation Guidelines, with modifications required by insufficient data quality in some areas of the region. Data were collated from a range of recent and historic sources. These data include multibeam and sidescan sonar data from the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research and Land Information New Zealand.  A ‘rapid sonar survey’ technique was developed to fill data gaps for areas not covered by past or recent survey effort. These sources and methods are described to assist in understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the current habitat maps and to help implement improvements in this and future work

Rocky reefs make up 14.3% of the mapped area, indicating the presence of a significant array of these habitats. Estuarine areas make up 3.3% of the mapping area and include internationally significant tidal flats, Zostera capricorni seagrass beds and the Avicennia marina mangrove areas of Parengarenga and Rangaunu Harbours.

The use of the habitat maps to identify potential locations for a network of marine protected areas in Northland is discussed and recommendations are made to incorporate this information within decision support tools to assist in planning, education and community engagement. The habitat maps, underlying data and techniques developed also provide a valuable resource for other research and management projects in Northland and elsewhere.

Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserves and Mimiwhangata Marine Park fish monitoring 2009
Author(s): Paul Roux De Buisson

This study used baited video to measure full no take protection compared to partial protection. After 10 years of full protection at the Poor Knights snapper counts were 14 times greater than before. Snapper abundance within the partially protected marine park was not significantly different to comparison sites on the open coast.

Crayfish at the Leigh Marine Reserve
Author(s): D Egli and R Babcock

The story of the crayfish - Crayfish (Jasus edwardsii) are an important component of temperate reef ecosystems. They have shown a dramatic increase in numbers inside the marine reserve at Leigh, where crayfish numbers are about 4 times higher than in adjacent fished areas. In other reserves the protected population is even higher. Crayfish inside the Leigh reserve are about 10% larger than elsewhere.

2005 Mimiwhangata Habitats
Author(s): Vince Kerr and Roger Grace

Intertidal and subtidal habitats of Mimiwhangata. Marine Park and adjacent shelf - Official Report. 

2003 Historic Crayfish Report
Author(s): Vince Kerr and Roger Grace

Summer of 2003 subtidal monitoring of crayfish and fishes. Two spotted black grouper present at the end of Pa Point. Red crays numbers remain low, packhorse seen in Mimi area.

Mimiwhangata submissions analysis
Author(s): DOC

Submission results for the Mimiwhangata marine reserve proposal and discussion document released by the department of Conservation in 2004

Deep Reef Report
Author(s): Vince Kerr and Roger Grace

Work done in the 70’s at Mimiwhangata (B et.al.1973) can be compared to 2002 side-scan sonar and remote video to allow mapping of the reef habitat to depths of 33 to 72 metres, showed considerable differences. This survey extends to 4km offshore

Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow
Author(s): Roger Grace

Don’t stop thinking about tomorrow, an article by roger Grace for Dive NZ magazine, March 2010.

Poster - Marine Habitat Map of Northland: Mangawhai to Ahipara Vers. 1
Author(s): Vince Kerr

A poster supporting the version 1 map and report

A marine habitat map for the Northland section of the Northeast Marine
Bioregion in New Zealand’s territorial sea has been completed and is
presented in a series of maps. The maps cover an area of 1.34 million
hectares extending out 12 nautical miles from the coast between Ahipara
in the west to Mangawhai on the east coast.

Data were collated from a range of recent and historic sources,
and merged and analysed in ArcGIS 9.3.1 Geographical Information
System. These data include multibeam and sidescan sonar data from
the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research and Land
Information New Zealand. A ‘rapid sonar survey’ technique was developed
to fill data gaps for areas not covered by past or recent survey effort.
These sources and methods are described to assist in understanding
the strengths and weaknesses of the current habitat maps and to help
implement improvements in this and future work.

The use of the habitat maps to identify potential locations for a network
of marine protected areas in Northland is discussed and recommendations
are made to incorporate this information within decision support tools
to assist in planning, education and community engagement.

Marine Habitat Map of Northland: Mangawhai to Ahipara Vers. 1
Author(s): Vince Kerr

A marine habitat map for the Northland section of the Northeast Marine
Bioregion in New Zealand’s territorial sea has been completed and is
presented in a series of maps. The maps cover an area of 1.34 million
hectares extending out 12 nautical miles from the coast between Ahipara
in the west to Mangawhai on the east coast.

Data were collated from a range of recent and historic sources,
and merged and analysed in ArcGIS 9.3.1 Geographical Information
System. These data include multibeam and sidescan sonar data from
the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research and Land
Information New Zealand. A ‘rapid sonar survey’ technique was developed
to fill data gaps for areas not covered by past or recent survey effort.
These sources and methods are described to assist in understanding
the strengths and weaknesses of the current habitat maps and to help
implement improvements in this and future work.

The use of the habitat maps to identify potential locations for a network
of marine protected areas in Northland is discussed and recommendations
are made to incorporate this information within decision support tools
to assist in planning, education and community engagement.