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Marlborough Sounds
Map ID number:
14
Location: North coast of the
South Island
Approximate area: 2,299km 2
Sea anenomes, sea cucumbers,
and ascidians
©NIWA/Ken Grange
Description of area:
The Marlborough Sounds are formed from
drowned river valleys resulting in a complex
coastline with a large variety of habitats.
High velocity semidiurnal tidal flows
characterise the entrance of the sounds.
In central New Zealand they represent the
largest extent of sheltered harbour habitats.
Biological attributes:
The sounds have a reasonable diversity of
native suspension feeders and muddy benthic
communities in unmodified habitats. There
is a mix of northern and southern brachiopod
species and other invertebrates. Over their
length the sounds show a strong transition in
fauna and flora from that typical of exposed
rock reefs and sandy sediments to those
typical of sheltered shores. The sounds
ecosystem also supports a large number of
marine farms, which farm mainly suspension
feeding mussels.
Criteria applied:
Representation (across physical types);
meeting ground.
Status and management:
Some of the area is zoned for marine
farming, which requires resource consent
and fisheries permits. Sediment runoff from
forestry operations and roads poses a threat
to water quality.
State of information:
Not recorded during the
workshop
References and further
reading:
Bardsley (1976), Cole et al.
(2001), Estcourt (1967), Farhey
and Coker (1992), Grange
(1991a), Nelson et al. (1992),
Ogilvie (2000), Struik (1979).
Cook Strait
Map ID number:
15
Location: Between North and
South Island
Approximate area: 17,022km 2
Description of area:
The Cook Strait has high velocity semidiurnal
tidal flows. There are deep canyons
at the Strait’s eastern end bringing deep
water faunas close to one of New Zealand’s
largest urban areas. Vertical mixing of the
water column and associated increased
productivity in and around the canyons helps
to sustain a more varied and abundant midwater
and bottom dwelling fauna than the
adjacent shelf.
Biological attributes:
The Cook Strait is a mixing zone for fauna
and flora of northern and southern waters.
The rocky reefs of the area
have high algal diversity. The
largest known rhodolith beds
(free-living crustose coralline
red algae), are found in Cook
Strait. Dense aggregations
of brittle stars are found at
the head of the Cook Strait
Canyon.
Criteria applied:
Species diversity; meeting
ground; representation.
Status and management:
Most benthic species are not exploited but
may be subject to bycatch in bottom trawling
operations. A protected area of shallow
waters lies within the Cook Strait power
cable zone.
State of information:
Not recorded during the workshop.
References and further reading:
Foster (2001), Nelson et al. (1992).
Intertidal organisms, Cook Strait
Allison Arnold
58 ■ BIODIVERSITY – NEW ZEALAND’S MARINE ECOREGION