In the “Protecting our seas DVD

Clip duration: 2 minutes 2 seconds

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About the clip

What you’ll see

In this clip the camera moves over the glistening sea surface into the fiords and a map shows the locations of the 10 marine reserves in the Fiordland region. Shots of rainfall, a brown flowing river and thick leaf litter lead to a shot of tea-coloured murky water. Fish are then seen swimming in water with low light, followed by shots of black coral, red coral and sea pens – species usually seen only at much greater depths.

A number of invertebrate and fish species are seen, including small sharks, followed by shots of New Zealand fur seals and bottlenose dolphins. The clip ends with the on-screen message “People come from all over the globe to experience Fiordland’s underwater world” while seals swim in the background.

What you’ll learn

This is one of 10 marine reserves in the world-renowned Fiordland area.

Heavy rainfall washes tannins from the leaf litter of the steep forested slopes which sits as a dark freshwater surface layer. This significantly reduces light penetration to the waters below, allowing species which would usually live in deeper waters, such as red coral, black coral and sea pens, to be seen in easily diveable depths.

Other species which can be seen in this rich and unique environment include butterfly perch, sea perch, tiger shells, urchins, Jason’s nudibranch, snakestars, rock cod and dogfish. Marine mammals also inhabit the fiords including New Zealand fur seals and a resident population of bottlenose dolphins.

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