By Bob Zuur
WWF-New Zealand Marine Advocate
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Bob Zuur is a marine biologist who is spending a month
exploring Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands
to raise awareness of the area and its importance. His current work with WWF
focuses on fisheries, offshore oil exploration and seabed mining, and on
increasing protected areas in our marine environment. He will be
documenting his travels here on
3news.co.nz.
Our
Far South Bob Zuur RSS Feed
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Sandy Bay on Enderby Island [to the north of the main Auckland Island], was the same, but somehow different to when I was here six years ago. The Department of Conservation huts were the same weather-beaten plywood, nestled in among the rata forest. DOC staff happily greeted me - I guess not too many people drop in here! There were sea lions on the beach. But there were far fewer of them. I was last here in early December 2006 when mother sea lions were arriving on the beach to give birth and, soon after, to mate with the huge males which had claimed their patch of prime beach front real estate. Now, later in the season, few mothers and pups were on the beach. Sure, most pups were having fun in the bushes or pond behind the beach.
But there is a sadder story. Numbers are actually down. About 2,500 pups were born in the Auckland Islands then, and the number last season was about 1,500. Pup numbers have halved in the last decade. New Zealand sea lions are the rarest in the world, are only found in New Zealand, and are officially listed as "nationally critical", the same status given to some kiwi species and our Maui's dolphins. While the decline is accepted as real, there is dispute as to its cause.
The biggest human impacts on the species are through fishing, especially by squid trawlers, through drowning them and probably also through competition for food. There have been disease outbreaks that kill large numbers of pups. Some argue that some wider ecosystem change, possibly related to climate change, is having an impact. A recently published paper by credible scientists concluded that fishing is the main threat, while a recent Government MAF (Fisheries) policy paper concludes that fishing is not at fault. What is clear to WWF and other conservation organizations is that we must address the threats our sea lions face and take a precautionary approach to their management. The demise of this magnificent creature would be a global tragedy.
DOC issues seasonal permits for about 300 people to walk around much of the perimeter of Enderby Island. That makes about six groups the size of ours. I felt really privileged to walk along the boardwalk above Sandy Bay; and to see the magnificent royal albatrosses swoop down low across the wind-cropped bushes where their mates were sitting on nests.
Near the reef that claimed the iron barque Derry Castle in 1887, I thought I heard a "woosh" and out of the corner of my eye I glimpsed something huge rolling in the swell. This could only be a Southern right whale! In my enthusiasm to get to the cliff top, I stumbled over a large male sea lion sleeping between the tussocks. We both got a fright, he coughed and I stumbled backwards to become wedged on my back between two tussocks. We had been advised not to run from sea lions. That's easy, I thought, I can't run anywhere. The only casualty was my camera monopod, bent like a pretzel.
I had lunch with a fellow crew member on the cliff top as we watched the right whale feeding in shallow water perhaps 50m from the shore. Magic! Because they were slow and easy to catch, floated when killed, and provided a lot of oil, these were the "right" whales to hunt. The once abundant Southern right whales are severely depleted but slowly recovering. Today, over a hundred congregate in winter in Port Ross south of Enderby Island to give birth. Apparently, the noise is incredible. Amazing to think that they used to gather like this in Wellington Harbour!