Marine Data - Page 9

Along with sea lions, fur seals, and dolphins, seabirds are the protected species most directly affected by fisheries in New Zealand waters. Estimating seabird deaths from bycatch is one way of assessing the pressure some seabird species face from current fishing practices.
This dataset relates to the "Bycatch of protected species: seabirds" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Along with sea lions, fur seals, and dolphins, seabirds are the protected species most directly affected by fisheries in New Zealand waters. Estimating seabird deaths from bycatch is one way of assessing the pressure some seabird species face from current fishing practices.
This dataset relates to the "Bycatch of protected species: seabirds" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

Marine mammals, seabirds, and shorebirds are indicator species for the state of our marine environment. A decreasing population can indicate that the ecosystem is degrading. New Zealand has a diverse range of marine species, many of which are endemic to (only breed in) New Zealand. They are apex species (near the top of the food chain) and can thrive only if their ecosystems are healthy.
This measure reports on the number of indigenous marine species that have had a genuine change in conservation status between two monitoring periods (2008–11 and 2012–14). A change in a species’ conservation status reflects a change in its risk of extinction.

Seabed trawling and dredging, when fishing nets or dredges are towed near and along the seabed, can physically damage seabed (benthic) habitats and species. It can also stir up sediment from the seabed, shading (in shallow waters) or smothering marine species. This measure focuses on coastal areas (waters shallower than 250m). Focusing on coastal benthic habitats is important as these face multiple threats (for example from land-based activities) in addition to fishing.

The ocean storm index estimates the number of days in a year when wind speeds exceed gale and storm force on the Beaufort Scale. In a gale, sea conditions are rough and waves can be over six metres high. In a storm, waves can be over 10 metres high. To put this into context, on land a near gale would make walking difficult, and a storm would cause some damage to roofs, chimneys, and trees. Climate change could lead to changes in the frequency and intensity of storms. More frequent and intense storms will likely be a stressor for habitats and species.
The ocean storm index estimates the number of days that wind speeds exceed gale and storm force on the Beaufort Scale. The Beaufort Scale is a widely used international classification that rates sea conditions from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane). We report on estimated wind speeds broken down to:
- gales – measure 8 on the scale, have rough sea conditions with wind speeds of approximately 62–74 km per hour and wave heights of 5.5 metres
- storms – measure 10 on the scale, have wind speeds of approximately 89–102 km per hour and wave heights of 9–11.5 metres (McDonald & Parsons, 2016)

The ocean storm index estimates the number of days in a year when wind speeds exceed gale and storm force on the Beaufort Scale. In a gale, sea conditions are rough and waves can be over six metres high. In a storm, waves can be over 10 metres high. To put this into context, on land a near gale would make walking difficult, and a storm would cause some damage to roofs, chimneys, and trees. Climate change could lead to changes in the frequency and intensity of storms. More frequent and intense storms will likely be a stressor for habitats and species.
The ocean storm index estimates the number of days that wind speeds exceed gale and storm force on the Beaufort Scale. The Beaufort Scale is a widely used international classification that rates sea conditions from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane). We report on estimated wind speeds broken down to:
- gales – measure 8 on the scale, have rough sea conditions with wind speeds of approximately 62–74 km per hour and wave heights of 5.5 metres
- storms – measure 10 on the scale, have wind speeds of approximately 89–102 km per hour and wave heights of 9–11.5 metres (McDonald & Parsons, 2016).
This dataset relates to the number of days when wind speed exceeded storm force (Beaufort Scale 10) in 2015.

The ocean storm index estimates the number of days in a year when wind speeds exceed gale and storm force on the Beaufort Scale. In a gale, sea conditions are rough and waves can be over six metres high. In a storm, waves can be over 10 metres high. To put this into context, on land a near gale would make walking difficult, and a storm would cause some damage to roofs, chimneys, and trees. Climate change could lead to changes in the frequency and intensity of storms. More frequent and intense storms will likely be a stressor for habitats and species.
The ocean storm index estimates the number of days that wind speeds exceed gale and storm force on the Beaufort Scale. The Beaufort Scale is a widely used international classification that rates sea conditions from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane). We report on estimated wind speeds broken down to:
- gales – measure 8 on the scale, have rough sea conditions with wind speeds of approximately 62–74 km per hour and wave heights of 5.5 metres
- storms – measure 10 on the scale, have wind speeds of approximately 89–102 km per hour and wave heights of 9–11.5 metres (McDonald & Parsons, 2016).
This dataset relates to the average number of days wind speed exceeded storm force (Beaufort Scale 10) from 1979–2015.

Sea lions and fur seals are the protected species most directly affected by fisheries in New Zealand waters, along with seabirds and dolphins. Estimating the bycatch of sea lions and fur seals indicates the pressures they face from current fishing practices.
The New Zealand fur seal Arctocephalus forsteri is classified as not threatened. Its population appears to be increasing and extending back into its historical range (where they were commonly found) (Baker et al, 2010).
The Fisheries Act 1996 designates this species as protected and requires mitigation measures to reduce bycatch (Ministry for Primary Industries, 2014).
This dataset relates to the "Bycatch of protected species: sea lion and fur seal" measure on the Environmental Indicators, Te taiao Aotearoa website.

The average concentration of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) in phytoplankton over the period 1997–2014.
Concentrations of chl-a in phytoplankton are used to assess primary productivity in our oceans. Phytoplankton are primary producers of biomass and form the basis of the oceans’ food chains.

The average concentration of chlorophyll-a (chl-a) in phytoplankton for 2015.
Concentrations of chl-a in phytoplankton are used to assess primary productivity in our oceans. Phytoplankton are primary producers of biomass (mass of living organisms) and form the main basis of marine food chains. They use the chl-a pigment to capture the sun’s energy through the process of photosynthesis. Phytoplankton growth is affected by the availability of nutrients and light, which in turn are affected by the structure of the surface water column. The surface water column structure is affected by oceanographic and climate processes; large-scale changes to climate and oceanographic conditions can lead to changes in phytoplankton growth and chl-a concentrations.