Marine and Ecology
Article
Little Barrier Island no mooring detail
There are restrictions on some fishing activities within the controlled area that make contact with the seafloor (and can therefore spread exotic caul...
Article
Live Ocean’s voice on the world stage
As the UN Ocean Conference sets global goals for the future of the sea, two Kiwi sailors are helping make sure Aotearoa’s voice is heard.
Opinion
Our ocean, Our asset: why possible UN rules must work for real kiwis
Most weekends, it’s the same scene around the country. Mum and Dad launch the tinny, the rods are loaded, the chilly bin’s packed, and the kids pile i...
Article
World Ocean Day 2025, celebrating the oceans that connect
Most of us who spend time on the water don’t go looking for deep meaning in it. The ocean is just there.
In the poo!
I want to highlight an issue we have with yachts and cruising vessels visiting Kawau Island.
Sewage discharge from vessels is polluting our waters ...
Opinion
Antifouling: Time to clear the decks on regulatory delay
Chris Galbraith Chair of NZMOA warns of rapid barnacle growth and call for urgent access to safer, more effective antifoul products.
Article
Ocean with David Attenborough: A cinematic call to restore our blue planet
Opening in cinemas worldwide on 8 May 2025, Ocean with David Attenborough is more than just a documentary – it’s a rallying cry for our planet. Coinci...
Mediterranean Fanworm found on vessels in Wellington / top of the South Island
A recent survey conducted by the Greater Wellington Regional Council and the Top of the South Marine Biosecurity Partnership has revealed the presence...
Matakana Island’s Panepane Wharf gets an upgrade
For boaters navigating the waters of Tauranga Harbour, Matakana Island has long been a familiar and enticing destination. Known for its mix of rugged ...
Iongairo: Mapping the seafloor to protect Canterbury’s marine life
Most Kiwi boaters are considerate of New Zealand's marine environments. A healthy marine environment is essential to our enjoyment of the water that s...
Great white shark makes cameo appearance
A team reviewing underwater footage in Fiordland were amazed to find a great white shark eyeballing their camera recently.
DOC staff and researcher...
$6.2M Northland exotic Caulerpa funding welcomed but we all need to do more to safeguard NZ waters
New Zealand’s coastal waters face an escalating threat from exotic caulerpa, an invasive seaweed now confirmed at Waiheke Island’s Onetangi Bay and Th...
Article
Check for marine pests
Marine biosecurity teams are reminding boaties and all marine users to make sure they are across marine pest risks and rules before heading out on the...
Russell leads the way in wharf recycling: A community effort to keep the Bay clean
Over the Christmas and New Year period, Russell had a noticeable addition to its wharf – a pop-up recycling station set up by Resilient Russell, a loc...
Article
The Future of Underwater Exploration: U-Boat Worx Unveils High-Performance Super Sub
Experience unparalleled speed and luxury beneath the waves with U-Boat Worx's all-electric Super Sub, designed for underwater adventurers seeking both...
Article
Kaikōura pāua poachers caught, community zero tolerance for illegal fishing
In a significant enforcement action this week, Fisheries New Zealand officers and police collaborated to apprehend a group of individuals who had take...
In Darwin’s footsteps
In 1835 British naturalist Charles Darwin stepped ashore at the remote Galápagos Islands. The visit led to his controversial book – On the Origin of S...
Introducing Vitamin Sea – a new series exploring how our connection with the ocean shapes marine con...
Introducing Vitamin Sea – a new series exploring how our connection with the ocean shapes marine conservation
A...
The return of Bladerunner the humpback and Split Fin the killer whale – a cautionary tale about seaf...
The return of Bladerunner the humpback and Split Fin the killer whale – a cautionary tale about seafaring vessels
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Drone fishing in South Africa is a danger to sharks and may be unfair to other fishers – study
Drone fishing in South Africa is a danger to sharks and may be unfair to other fishers – study
Alexander Claus Winkler, Rhodes University
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New research vessel for Goat Island
Working out of Goat Island, Te Kaihōpara will help highlight the need for more marine reserves in the Hauraki Gulf, such as one planned for Waiheke Is...
BOP: Remember the rules around the Motiti Protection Area
Under the new rules, no-one can take fish, shellfish, or plants from these areas. These rules apply to everyone equally, including customary, recreati...
IT’S EASY BEING GREEN
Modern engineering makes it easy to reduce boating’s environmental impact while saving money at the same time.
Downunder Takeaways
A look below the waterline can reveal cling-ons that could devastate our marine ecosystems. They’ve also spawned a confusing clutch of local...
Want seaweed with that?
Supplementing your diet with seaweed could relieve medical problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), metabolic syndrome and i...
When cat’s paws grow claws
Sometimes waves are gentle and undulating. But they can become monsters, turning a pleasant cruise into a roiling hell. This often leads to an une...
The Southern Ocean
In 1953, with the stroke of a pen, the most important ocean on the planet disappeared.
The truth is the Southern Ocean had be...
HIJACKING an ICEBERG
Water shortages are becoming increasingly common in a world reeling under global warming and climate change. There aren’t any easy solutions – but fo...
SUPPORT FOR WHITEBAIT CHANGES
Forest & Bird is heartened that 90% of respondents to a Department of Conservation survey support changes to whitebaiting regulations.
“This leve...
RUBBISH RUNNERS
One man’s rubbish, so the old adage goes, is another man’s gold. In some cases, though, the riches aren’t material – their worth is in experience and ...
MELTING ARCTIC ICE OPENS NEW ROUTE
The Venta Maersk, carrying a cargo of frozen fish, arrived in St Petersburg in August, having left Vladivostok (Russia’s Pacific port city) days earli...
Rodney Russ: Southern Ocean Explorer
Russ has spent more time in this ocean than most and has shown more people its beauty than anyone else I know. To say he is a passionate advocate for ...
RIP Diesel?
A bit like Mark Twain who famously declared that media reports of his death were exaggerated, so too reports of the demise of the diesel engine might ...
Sub-Antarctic Shuttle
Not too many boats head south from Bluff, at mainland New Zealand’s southern extremity. But one yacht does so regularly, delivering researchers and sc...
Island transporter: Lloyd Stevenson vaka motu
Easier transportation of people, medical supplies and cargo around the islands of Micronesia took a leap forward with the launch of another Lloyd Stev...
Cruising the Greenland fjords
Yachts and icebergs. They are not supposed to meet because it can all end in tears, usually below the waterline. Story and photos by Rebecca Hayter.
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Birds in the bilges
Customs regulations often restrict international border crossings to a mind-numbing crawl. Not so in the smuggler’s world, where everything and anythi...