A whale of a time!

Yesterday marked the end of my last voyage for the Fellowship on Hawere. Once again we were collecting and processing herbivorous fish. In addition to Kendall, Lindsay and Lilly from my first trip, we also has PhD student Selena on board, who was doing some pretty gross stuff with guts and bacteria - actually it was fascinating!

A bonus this trip was encountering a number of Bryde's Whales feeding near where we working at Great Barrier Island. At one stage there was a large school of pilchards (a small fish like a sardine) forced up to the surface. Gannets were diving in for a feed, other seabirds were also getting in there, dolphins were coralling the fish and plucking them off the edges of the school, and through the middle these massive whales were coming in for their share. A fascinating behaviour was observed where the whales were making a bubble curtain, from deep below, to keep the pilchards pinned to the surface. It was amazing to see.
There are plenty of seabirds to look at out there, but we were lucky enough to be visited by a rather hungry mollymawk, which is a member of the albatross family. It wasn't sure enough of me to feed from my hand, but came very close.
I also was able to take some time to do a little underwater photography. The fish in the picture are silver drummer, one of the species we had been sampling. They grow to about 10kg, but these ones were 2-3kg. As you can see the water was beautiful and clear.
One of the samples we had to take from the fish was a blood sample, as nutrients from the gut end up in the bloodstream. Here you can see Kendall extracting blood from a marblefish.

Once again I had a fantastic time observing science in action, and I would like to thank Kendall, Lindsay, and their marvellous students for sharing their expertise and ideas. Now I have to work out how to translate it into the classroom!

Drummer Boy

Kendall Clements from the University of Auckland is New Zealands expert on fish from the drummer family, in fact some of the work he is doing makes him a world expert. Up until relatively recently, it was thought that there was only one species of drummer in New Zealand, the silver drummer. Thanks to Kendall and others, we now know there are at least 4 species here. On our trip to Great Barrier Island last week we speared fish of three different species. The common species, silver drummer, is on the bottom photo. The other fish is an as yet un-named species, Kyphosus bigibbus. If you look at the two fish you can see the differences in the shape of the body, especially the nose, and the shape of the fins. It was neat to be part of science finding more about the biodiversity of New Zealand's seas!

Beautiful Barrier

I’ve just returned from another fantastic trip to Great Barrier Island, on the Hawere once again, with Associate Professor Kendall Clements from the University of Auckland. Our mission for this trip was to collect two species of fish, parore and silver drummer. Blake from California is completing his Masters degree’ looking at nutrient absorption in silver drummer. Tabea from Germany is completing a PhD with a similar, but more complex project on parore. We had perfect weather, with brilliant days, beautiful sunsets, clear water, and cold air! It is winter after all!

My job once again was to collect the fish, causing as little damage to the fish, while killing them humanely. It meant long, but pleasurable days in the water. Once again, these scientists were very happy to share with me their work, their methods and ideas. I was pleased to be useful to them in their projects.

Even better, I return for another trip next week!

Searchin' for Urchins

About ten years ago I was diving at Flat Island, north of the Bay of Islands, when I found a colony of neat little urchins under a boulder. I grabbed one, and sent it to NIWA for identification, and they identified it as Goniocidaris corona, a rare species, recorded at the Bay of Islands (once) and the Poor Knights islands. When I was at NIWA a month or so back, scientist Owen Anderson asked me about it, as the had apparently mislaid my specimen, the only specimen they had. I decided if I had an opportunity I would go back and see if I could find them. That opportunity came yesterday when I went searching for fish for Professor Kendall Clements up at Flat Island. Unfortunately, despite a thorough look using a torch to probe under rocks and in crevices, I failed to find any. I suspect they are not very common, but I am determined to continue looking! This coming week I am back out with Kendall, and the University of Auckland, where we will be collecting specimens of herbivorous fish from Great Barrier Island.

Southern Right Whales

Winter is the time of the year when the Southern Right Whale or Tohora are most likely to be seen in our waters. At times they come into very shallow water, and a few years ago one spent time inside Port Taranaki.

Southern Right Whales are beginning to rebuild their numbers since whaling ended, but the population is still small.

One way of finding out about the population of whales is to identify them. In New Zealand there are two main ways to identify them. The first way is by photograph. If you can take a photo of a whale's head, the chances are it can be identified. On a right whale's head are pale lumps, called callosities. Each whale is unique in the shape and position of these, and so can be identified.

The other way to identify them is by taking a small sample of flesh. This is done by firing a special dart from a gun. The dart has a hollow point which takes a very small amount of flesh. You van see the dart if you look carefully at the circle on one of the photos below. The more we can find out about these whales, the more we can do to protect them. If you are out in a boat over winter, make sure you have a camera at the ready! If you have sighted or photographed a whale, send the sighting info, or photo, to Callum Lilley at DOC - clilley@doc.govt.nz


Photos supplied by Callum Lilley and Bryan Williams (DOC)

Marine Reserve Maintenance

Marine reserves can be difficult beasts to manage. It is impossible in practical terms to put a fence around them, unlike mainland reserves. The next best thing is to try and mark the boundaries, and at Tapuae Marine Reserve, the boundaries are marked by a number of buoys. Unfortunately, the sea being the place that it is, these buoys sometimes get broken off and lost. The other day we wend searching for the mooring for one buoy that had disappeared. Imagine trying to search for something that you only have a vague idea of where it is, and you can only see 2 metres in front of you! After spending some time trying to find it, we eventually gave up and went and checked some of the other buoys.

Floating in the ocean, the buoys attract their own marine life. Each buoy was covered in a thick mat of seaweed, and barnacles. The ropes were weighed down with mussels. If they were left to grow, they would eventually cause the buoy to sink, and so they have to be cleared. With Callum on SCUBA, and starting at the bottom, I started at the top and worked my way down, scraping thousands of small mussels off the rope.

It turns out the mussels were home to thousands of other creatures - crabs, worms, and most of all, amphipods. Amphipods are small crustaceans, in the same family as sandhoppers. When we got out of the water, our wetsuits were a crawling mass of these amphipods! We washed most of them off into the sea. It was amazing to see how the mussels created their own ecosystem.

Rotokare Rambling

Today I joined Janet King, also on a Primary Science Teacher Fellowship, at Lake Rotokare near Eltham. Lake Rotokare has become a mainland island - encircled by a predator proof fence. Rats, stoats, goats, pigs, possums and hedgehogs have been eliminated from the area, and mice are next on the list. The fence prevents them from re-entering the area. Our job today was to walk the fence, one inside, one outside, to look for damage or evidence of incursions by animals. While we found no holes, we found plenty of evidence of rabbits at least trying to dig under the fence. These holes we filled in with the help of a spade. The fence gets checked each week.

Once inside, it was heartening to see the lush undergrowth, and healthy canopy of trees, and there were kereru, tui, fantails and more everywhere. It is great to see a massive conservation effort being so successful.

Whale Stranding Hui

On Saturday, I went to Orimupiko Marae, south of Opunake, to attend a Whale Stranding Hui. Why a Whale Stranding Hui? Because in New Zealand it is important that not only are the needs of scientists acknowledged when a whale is stranded, but it is also important for cultural and historical perspectives to be taken into account.

Whales play a large part in Maori mythology, stories and culture. In the past they have been an important source of food, and their bones and teeth were enormously valued for decorative purposes, but also practical purposes.

Scientists can gain enormous knowledge from studying whales that have been stranded - size, age, diet, cause of death, genetics and population information. When there is a positive relationship between iwi and scientists, it is possible for all needs to be met.

It was a fascinating hui, with speakers from DOC and various iwi, all prepared to share their expertise. It was a really good example of how science can work effectively alongside culture, with each paying respect to the other.

Mayor Island - Tuhua

Last night I walked off Mt Taranaki, had a quick shower, and drove to Tauranga. This morning I met Kim at the Tauranga Marina to travel out to Tuhua (Mayor Island) with staff from the Bay Of Plenty Polytech on their launch Okiwi. They were promoting their courses in marine and environmental studies to mainly secondary educators, and we were fortunate enough to be able to hitch along with them.
It was a glorious day, with calm seas, and in no time we were out at the island. Tuhua is a volcano, with a large crater across the middle of the island. This volcano was underwater, and has been uplifted over the years. It is distinctive in that it has large bands of obsidian or volcanic glass in the cliffs. Maori used obsidian for tools such as knives, and Mayor Island obsidian has been found throughout the country, and in some of the Pacific Islands. We climbed to the highest peak, and were rewarded with great views of the crater, and its lakes. At the end of the day some of us got the opportunity to snorkel in beautiful clear water, in areas the Polytech uses for its marine studies. It was a really good opportunity to see where some of the children that we teach may end up following their science dream.

Slugs and Snails

We awoke the next morning to freezing cold frost, and a beautiful day once again. I couldn't walk past this tarn without taking a photo. Today I was to be working with Donna, mapping Powelliphanta snail populations. This involved getting down and dirty, and searching through the decaying leaf matter underneath various grass species. It wasn't for the faint hearted with spiders, slugs, insects and giant native worms to be found! Snail populations on Mount Taranaki are fairly small and isolated, probably because of the effects of eruptions and ashfalls over the last 1000 years or so. In science, often it is just as important knowing what is not present, as well as what is present.

This day we did not find any Powelliphanta but we did find lots of other critters, a smaller snail variety, and this slug which carries a little shell on its back. Again, it was an opportunity to see "what lies beneath". Unfortunately, with little to carry beyond my own pack this time, I had to walk out, rather than catch a scenic flight!

Up, up and away!

People pay money for scenic helicopter rides - today I got one for free! DOC uses helicopters for access to difficult areas when large loads are required, and carrying them in is not practicable. Three DOC staff and myself flew into the Pouakai Hut on Mt Taranaki to do some pest work, and also some habitat mapping. On such a beautiful morning the flight in was exhilarating, and the Pouakai Hut has some amazing views over the Taranaki ring plain. This first day I was to spend with Dean, pegging down stoat boxes on about 12km of tracks. We were also collecting evidence of the effectiveness of the recent 1080 operation, and any possible effects on the native wildlife. One species that is vulnerable to 1080 is the fernbird, a fairly secretive bird. It had been thought that numbers could possibly have been affected by the poison. This was dispelled when Dean told me he had never heard so many fernbirds, over such a wide range. We encountered many other birds including tui, tomtits and bellbirds, and more pleasingly, none of the traps had any rats or stoats in them.

We capped off a great day in the field with a night time session playing kiwi calls to try and elicit responses. Although we didn't hear any, apparently it doesn't mean they were not there - apparently this is more effective when the weather is not so good, and the kiwi can't hear us humans crashing around in the bush!

Not all glamour!

Just to show you that this fellowship is NOT all glamour, three times this last few weeks Callum and I have been called on to dispose of dead New Zealand fur seals. Quite how these ones have died is a mystery. Sometimes they have obvious fatal wounds, from boats or sharks, but more often there is little visible cause. Often when there has been rough weather more seals seem to die. They are also (definitely in this case) often quite decomposed, and there is very little worse than a rotten seal! This particular seal had a tag on its flipper, and I am looking forward to finding out more about it!

Callum and I rolled this one onto a tarpaulin, and then onto the ute, and headed to a farm on Frankley Road, where it was disposed of in an offal pit. Usually dead seals and dolphins are left to rot where they are washed up, but if they are in very public areas they are removed. The New Zealand fur seal has gone from the brink of extinction to being a common sight around the New Zealand coast.

Death to rats, possums and stoats!

Today I got to experience some more of the field work that DOC is involved in around Mt Taranaki. Ranger Dean Caskey has a number of responsibilities, and I had already spent a day working with Blue Ducks (Whio) with him. Today we were doing maintenance on a trap line, fixing the traps to pegs hammered in the ground so that they were less likely to be accidentally (or deliberately) tripped by a stray boot. We covered about 5km of trap lines, so more than 10 km including getting in there and the return journey. Dean was like a mountain goat, whereas I was more like a stranded seal! Out of the 50 traps we only found one dead rat, an encouraging sign after the recent 1080 drop. We did find some possum sign, including bark stripped off the lower trunk of a tree. We also found the remains of a recent plane crash on the track! Spending a day with Dean was exhausting, but it was also great to hear him talk about the amazing biodiversity on the mountain, and to see his commitment to this environment.

Experiencing Marine Reserves

This last week I got a chance to talk to teachers at Mercury Bay Area School about their involvement in the Experiencing Marine Reserves programme.

Paul Cook, a teacher in the secondary side of the school, runs the Marine Academy. This is a part of the school where students learn to dive (through the local dive shop), and also learn about the marine environment and the way people use it, through recreation and employment. The academy makes good use of the local Te Whanganui-a-hei marine reserve.

Year 8 students at the school all take part in Experiencing Marine Reserves, a programme that teaches snorkeling skills and awareness of the marine environment. They use an inquiry approach to learning. They are able to talk about and share their learning.

Of course, I had to check out their playground too, and went for a snorkel at Gemstone Bay in the Te Whanganui-a-hei reserve. The water was beautiful, warm and clear. I was immediately struck by the contrast between here, and places I had dived outside of the reserve. There were far more fish and crayfish inside the reserve, but most noticeable was the amount of seaweed. Outside of the reserve there are numerous “kina barrens”, areas where the kina have removed all the seaweed, and there is only bare rock, because the snapper and crayfish in particular have been overfished. They are the main predators of kina. There were rock faces covered in beautiful anemones, and jellyfish of all different shapes and sizes – not a bad classroom for the students at Mercury Bay Area School!

Diving at the Sugar Loaf Islands Marine Park

The problem with Marine Reserves is the average person only sees the surface of the sea, they don't have the privilege of seeing just what is underneath. The west coast doesn't have the visibility of the east coast most of the time, but on a good day such as we had recently, the diving was fantastic. Callum Lilley took these great shots at Saddleback Island off New Plymouth during exceptional conditions last month. We could see each other from more than 15 metres away. The shell is the operculum (or door, like a catseye) to a cook's turban shell. The spotted animal is called a clown nudibranch, a type of sea slug. Nudibranch means 'naked gills' and you can see the gills on its back. Next time you look at the sea, just think for a moment about what might be beneath.

School Holidays

Well, like all teachers and students, the last 2 weeks have been the holidays. While it was time for me to get some University assignments done, there was also time for my son, two friends and I to head down to the Mackenzie country in the South Island, and do some rabbit and hare hunting, as well as just enjoy the magnificent scenery.

One thing the Fellowship has provided me with is an appreciation of the value of observation in our daily lives, which also extends into science. This little gecko I found hiding under a rock, after watching a quick little skink dash under the same rock. It was interesting to see just how placid the gecko was, probably because it was early morning and the temperature was still fairly low. It wriggled away happily after a quick photo. Use the opportunities you have each day to observe and question!

Manihi Road Reef

One of the jobs of the Taranaki Regional Council (TRC) is monitoring the ecological effects of agriculture and industry around the region. Where for example, Fonterra discharges waste near a shoreline, the nearby reefs are monitored for their health. At Manihi Road south of Cape Egmont, there is an extensive reef system that is not affected by industry. TRC looks at this reef, and compares any changes with areas where there are industry effects. I joined Kate, Erin and Scott as they checked it out. In the photo you can see Erin with a half metre square. She identifies all the plants and animals in this square, and they are recorded and compared over time. I was amazed at just how many species are to be found. A bare rock when turned over may have more than a dozen species living underneath. We are lucky to have people like these checking up on the health of our environment.

Mud glorious mud!

Today I headed down to Waitotara, about 90 minutes south of New Plymouth. I was there to help Kate and Erin from Taranaki Regional Council with their estuary monitoring programme. One thing you can rely on at a Taranaki estuary is MUD! We took 12 core samples of mud from a particular area, and we put them through a sieve which got rid of the mud and sand and left us with the animals that lived there. The animals help them to keep track of the health of the estuary. We found lots of mud crabs, snails, and tiny bivalves similar to pipis. Often there are seaworms too. Sometimes you have to look hard to find what lies beneath, and there was far more in the mud than I expected. Next time you go to Mokau or Urenui, think about all that life that lives beneath the surface.

GREAT Barrier!

The next day dawned fine but windy, but we managed to find some great country on the north-east of Great Barrier, out of the wind and swell.

Kendall's co-collaborators on this project are Lindasy, an Associate Professor at AUT, and Lily, a Canadian woman who is taking part in this project as part of her PhD studies. They were largely responsible for the processing of the gut samples - not an enviable job! The various samples are kept very cold in a container of liquid nitrogen, which is at minus 196 degrees celsius! This keeps the samples from deteriorating.

The diving and spearfishing was much better today, with visibility up to 15 metres, and the water was a nice 20 degrees. There were schools of fish everywhere - blue maomao, silver drummer, kahawai, kingfish, snapper and more. The rocks are mostly covered in seaweed, with patches of brightly coloured sponges and anemones - and they call this work! We had a huge day, processing 22 fish, as well as finding the time to spear a decent snapper - which was dinner. I felt hugely privileged to share the time and experienced with these three passionate scientists - even if I struggled to understand them at times!