90 per cent of New Zealand sea birds at risk of extinction – report

Thursday, 27 October 2016

Ninety per cent of New Zealand's sea birds are at risk of extinction, as 'serious pressures' threaten the future of New Zealand's oceans.

The Our Marine Environment 2016 report, released on Thursday by Statistics NZ and the Ministry for the Environment, found that New Zealand had the highest number of threatened seabird species in the world.

More than a quarter of marine mammals were also at risk.

Increasing sea temperatures is one of the major threats to sea bird and marine mammal numbers.

It was due to a degraded environment, the report said. Global warming and polluted coastlines were among the causes.

'We're a maritime nation. Having healthy and resilient oceans is important for all New Zealanders and for our economy,' government statistician Liz MacPherson said.

A New Zealand sea lion female and pup in the Auckland Islands. They are critically threatened.

'Today's marine environment report shows that our marine environment is facing a number of serious challenges.'

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Of particular concern was the threat to marine species: almost all of the country's 92 seabird species were at risk of extinction.

Half of the 12 most threatened species of seabird had been declining since 2008. None were improving.

Increasing acidification of the oceans, caused by rising temperatures, would affect shell species such as plankton, the report said. That had a flow on effect for the rest of the food chain.

'The future of our marine birds and mammals, most of which are at or near the top of the food chain, is of international interest and has importance for global biodiversity.

'The extinction of these species may have consequential impacts on other species and the resilience of ecosystems.'

Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith said: 'We are committed to addressing these challenges'.

New laws on marine reserves is due before parliament next year which 'will bring our marine legislation into the 21st Century, recognising that we need varying levels of protection'.

'DIRE SITUATION'

Green Party co-leader James Shaw said the report painted an alarming picture of our marine environment.

'I hadn't realised how dire it was.

'This demonstrates what happens when you have a Government that has this 'grow the economy at any cost' model, when that cost is our environment.'

'On the one hand we're reducing bycatch, but on the other we're acidifying the oceans, and I think frankly the policy has been irresponsible.'

Marine protected areas should be an urgent priority, and Shaw said the Government had been handed recommendations that these be extended out from the current 12 nautical mile limit to 200 nautical miles - or the exclusive economic zone.

BYCATCHES, SEA LIONS AND THE ALBATROSS

The report looked at the impact of fishing practices on vulnerable species, particularly bycatches, when an animal is inadvertently caught and killed in a fishing net.

However Secretary for the Environment Vicky Robertson said the number of bycatches had decreased.

'The number of seabirds caught by commercial fishing bycatch almost halved from around 9,000 in 2003 to 5,000 in 2013.'

It remains a major cause of death for several species, the report said.

A key example was the Salvin's albatross, frequently seen on the South Island's coast.

Despite being nationally critical — the highest of all threat rankings — hundreds were being killed each year in fishing nets.

In 2014, 623 Salvin's albatross were killed in fishing nets.

It was also a problem for marine mammals, such as the critically threatened New Zealand sea lion.

It is one of the world's rarest seal species and found only in New Zealand, but dozens each year are killed in fishing nets.

It is also forced to compete with commercial fisheries, which had contributed to its decline, the report said.

Damaging fishing methods such as trawling had also decreased, but still had a substantial effect on the marine environment, the report said.

Seafood New Zealand chief executive Tim Pankhurst said the industry's efforts to reduce its impact are paying off.

'Industry has worked hard to reduce bycatch in recent years. The report notes that the drop is likely due in part to mitigation measures, such as bird scaring devices on fishing vessels.'

'WE ARE LEAVING UNCERTAINTY'

World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand said the report painted a worrying picture of the state of New Zealand's oceans.

'This report gives a stark warning and should serve as a wake-up call on the need for action to ensure ecosystems are not further degraded and species are not driven further towards extinction,' campaigns head, Peter Hardstaff, said.

Creating a network of marine protected areas is an essential part of addressing the problem, Hardstaff said.

The fragility of the marine environment would affect New Zealand' $4 billion marine economy in future, as well as recreational opportunities for all New Zealanders, the report said.

The sector provided more than 100,000 jobs.

Pressures from human activities were degrading the coastal environment, particularly in areas close to urban centres.

Of most concern were the effects of rising temperatures, which caused increased acidification, sea levels to rise and coasts to erode.

'We cannot be certain that future New Zealanders will enjoy the same benefits from the marine environment as we do,' the report said.

'The extent and rate of change from ocean acidification and warming over centuries depends on what we – and the rest of the world – do about global greenhouse gas emissions.'

The report followed the landmark Environment Aotearoa 2015 report released last year.

Such reports are released every six months, and are required under legislation passed last year.

GAPS IN THE DATA

There were many unknowns when it came to the marine environment, particularly regarding the impact of fishing.

Whilst it was clear that destructive forms of fishing had decreased, there was not enough data to make solid conclusions about fishing's overall ecological impact.

The risk status of 40 per cent of marine mammal species was also unclear, due to a lack of data.

'Another theme that came through in producing this report is how much we don't know about our marine environment,' MacPherson said.

'The environmental reporting programme is working to improve our data over time. However, New Zealanders need to consider the costs of delaying action in the absence of perfect information.'