Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara - Protecting our seas video
In the “Protecting our seas DVD”
Clip duration: 2 minutes 12 seconds
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About the clip
What you’ll see
We approach the bush clad Ulva Island from the water. Beneath the water we see banded wrasse swimming above a diverse and colourful algal bed and trumpeter threading their way through a tall macrocystis forest. Shots of different algal, fish and invertebrate species then illustrate the on-screen message “New Zealand is one of the world’s marine biodiversity hotspots”.
We see a brief shot of Stewart Island followed by shots of brachiopods, an ancient shellfish both in situ and then held close up to the camera, out of the water. We then see a few shots of New Zealand’s largest nudibranch and its eggs. More shots of various species found in the area follow, including traditionally harvested species like blue cod, rock lobster and paua.
The clip ends with shots of a carpet shark, diver, fur seal, dogfish, sea perch, tube anemone and sea tulips.
What you’ll learn
This Marine Reserve is located in Stewart Island’s Paterson Inlet and abuts the pest free Ulva Island Open Sanctuary. The clear waters of the inlet support New Zealand’s richest diversity of seaweeds. The inlet is also an important habitat and nursery for at least 56 marine fish species, such as banded wrasse, trumpeter, blue cod, scarlet wrasse, leatherjacket, thornfish, southern pigfish, butterfly perch, sea perch, dogfish and carpet sharks.
A wide array of invertebrate species can be found here including the charachteristic tube anemone and New Zealand’s largest nudibranch, a type of sea slug. Stewart Island is also one of the best places in the world to see living examples of rare brachiopods, an ancient filter feeding shellfish.
Surrounding this marine reserve is Te Whaka ā Wera/Paterson Inlet Mātaitai Reserve. The Mātaitai prohibits commercial fishing and can be used to manage recreational fishing to ensure the sustainability of important traditional kaimoana species.