Auckland Islands Marine Mammal Sanctuary

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The Auckland Islands Marine Mammal Sanctuary is a marine mammal sanctuary established in 1993 as the second sanctuary of its kind in the territorial waters of New Zealand. It has a size of 560,564  ha and is therefore only slightly larger than the almost congruent area of ​​the Auckland Islands-Motu Maha Marine Reserve , which was opened in 2003.

geography

The Auckland Islands Marine Mammal Sanctuary is located between 50 '16 "and 51' 19" South and between 165 '32 "and 166' 39" East in the southern Pacific Ocean , approximately 460 km south of New Zealand's South Island . With a radius of 12  nautical miles and thus corresponding to the territorial border, it encloses the Auckland Islands and covers a lake area of ​​around 560,564  hectares . The protected lake area has depths of up to 3000 m, but mostly between 50 and 200 m.

history

On March 22, 1993, the sea area around the Auckland Islands was declared the Auckland Islands Marine Mammal Sanctuary . The Department of Conservation (DOC) , founded in 1987, was responsible for the protected area .

Which should be protected New Zealand sea lions , of which another ingredient is believed 11,600 to 15,200 copies today, and the Southern Right Whale (Engl. Southern Right Whale ) that the family of right whales are assigned and of which counted again today about 90 animals to stock can be. The whales were the ones who led mainly to set up a protection zone. Unconditional hunting made them threatened with extinction. Since the mammals give birth to their offspring over the winter months in the shallow waters of Port Ross , a larger fjord in the north of Auckland Island , the waters around the Auckland Islands are rich in food and the islands are of little economic interest, the was Establishment of a protection zone around the Auckland Islands very close.

In 2002, the DOC concluded a moratorium with all tourism companies that had the Auckland Islands in their sightseeing program, which was intended to reduce the nuisance caused by cruise ships and tourist boats between April and October. On December 15, 2003, the New Zealand government decided to designate the area as a marine reserve under the name Auckland Islands-Motu Maha Marine Reserve .

Advantages of the protection zone

  • The main advantage of the protection zone is that commercial fishing is no longer allowed around the islands.
  • The ban on fishing also protects all other marine species.
  • The Marine Mammal Protection Act 1978 limited the disruptive influence of tourists.

However, the advantage of the protection zone for the sea lions was limited, as their feeding area can be up to 50 km from the islands. Commercial fishing reduces the food supply for the sea lions.

today

Access to the marine reserve and the islands is now heavily regulated and only scientists and cruise ships are allowed under certain conditions. Only the Department of Conservation issues permits .

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Map: Auckland Islands marine mammal sanctuary boundaries . (JPG; 231 kB) Department of Conservation , archived from the original on March 5, 2016 ; accessed on August 25, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  2. ^ Marine Reserve (Auckland Islands — Motu Maha) Order 2003 . New Zealand Legislation - Parliamentary Council Office , accessed August 3, 2012 .
  3. ^ History of Auckland Islands marine protection . Department of Conservation , archived from the original on February 23, 2013 ; accessed on August 25, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  4. ^ Marine Mammals Protection (Auckland Islands Sanctuary) Notice 1993 . New Zealand Legislation - Parliamentary Council Office , accessed August 3, 2012 .

Coordinates: 50 ° 44 ′ 0 ″  S , 166 ° 5 ′ 0 ″  E