Oceans

NIWA aims to provide the knowledge needed for the sound environmental management of our marine resources.

  • The decline of New Zealand’s sea lions

    Research Project
    The main breeding population of New Zealand sea lions at the Auckland Islands has halved in size since the late-1990s; NIWA scientists are working with the government and experts from around New Zealand and overseas to understand why.
  • Critter of the Week: The prickly king crab

    The prickly king crab, Paralomis zealandica, is a member of the family Lithodidae, a mainly deepwater crustacean group that is probably better known by many people for its tasty leg meat.
  • Spatial management of the Ross Sea

    The fishery is managed differently depending on the region and specific environmental protection and fishery management objectives in the region.
  • Ecosystem effects of fishing

    Find out about the role of toothfish in the ecosystem and the potential effects of fishing.
  • Scientists to record marine mammals for first time in New Zealand

    Media release
    The sounds made by whales and dolphins as they pass through New Zealand’s Cook Strait are to be recorded for the first time through a research project being undertaken by a NIWA scientist.
  • Critter of the Week: The occlupanid – a member of the phylum Plasticae

    As we have mentioned many times, new species can be found literally at our door step. But who has found a new species in their pantry?
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    NIWA completes first bathymetric mapping of Lake Tekapo

    Media release
    NIWA researchers have spent part of the last month keeping a close eye on the bottom of Lake Tekapo to find out what it looks like and what is going on below the lake bed.
  • New Zealand sea lion mystery

    The main breeding population of NZ sea lions at the Auckland Islands has declined by approximately 50% since the late 1990s.
  • CARIM (Coastal Acidification: Rate, Impacts & Management)

    Research Project
    A NIWA-led project to tackle coastal acidification in New Zealand.
  • Ross Sea fish surveys

    Research Project
    We don’t clearly understand the ecological effects of commerical toothfish fishing in the Ross Sea region. To improve our knowledge, we conducted a survey of demersal (bottom-dwelling) fish species on the Ross Sea slope - particularly grenadiers and icefish - during the 2015 Antarctic Ecosystems Voyage.
  • The search for yellow octopus

    News article
    One of the ocean’s most elusive critters is about to meet its match as NIWA scientists voyage south hoping to film them in action – and bring a few samples home.
  • Meeting the challenge of ocean acidification

    Feature story
    New Zealand’s answer to ocean acidification is a model of the ‘best team’ approach – when organisations pool talent and resources to find solutions to national, or global, issues.]