Monitoring our marine environments

By Vincent Zintzen, Science Advisor

A day out on a boat fishing might sound like the perfect way to spend a day, but on a recent trip to Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve scientists were dropping a line to conduct some important research.

Blue cod smiling for the camera

Funded through the Air New Zealand partnership, DOC is developing a monitoring programme to better understand the condition of the marine sites that we manage, such as marine reserves.

This programme will build on the monitoring already being undertaken in marine reserves but it will take a broader look at the health of the marine environment.

Marine research at Ulva Island

The programme will monitor aspects such as the size and abundance of fish, but will also look at aspects such as water quality, interactions between the land and sea, and the food web structure.

On the recent trip to Ulva Island, DOC’s marine scientists caught fish using fishing lines to collect samples for further analysis.

Banded wrasse amongst the kelp

After measuring the fish, a small portion of the dorsal fin was collected and the fish was released. The clipping from the dorsal fin was later analysed for stable isotopes, these inform scientists on the structure of the marine food web.

It will take up to a year to process the data from the two weeks of monitoring at Ulva Island, but once finished DOC will have a much better understanding of the health and functioning of Ulva Island’s marine ecosystems.

Watch a time lapse of the scientists at Ulva/Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve: