Human Uses of the West Coast Marine and Coastal Environment
4.6 Biological and Environmental Sciences
The coastal and marine environment is also used for scientific studies
that may remove species from ecosystems or involve structures being placed
into the coastal marine environment. These studies contribute to the body
of information available on the West Coast coastal marine area.
There are a number of on-going projects on the West Coast in which universities
or other scientific research agencies undertake research, survey and monitoring
of the coastal and marine environment. These include:
- intertidal rocky reef monitoring, including the study of larval settlement and growth of shellfish (University of Canterbury and Oregon State University);
- sea level monitoring at permanent stations at Charleston and Jackson Bay/Okahu (NIWA);
- fur seal monitoring at Wekakura Point, Cape Foulwind and Taumaka (DOC);
- Hector’s dolphin studies (DOC and several universities);
- trawl surveys conducted to monitor fish stocks and research trophic linkages (NIWA).
Other site-specific scientific studies are undertaken periodically for environmental impact assessments.
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Divers on survey in South Westland. Photo: H Kettles, DOC |