North Cape — a ‘nursery area’ for the packhorse rock lobster,Jasus verreauxi (Deeapoda: Palinuridae)

In the North Cape area (34°26'S, 173°07'E) there appears to be a concentration of late juvenile packhorse rock lobsters, Jasus verreauxi (H. Milne Edwards'), which subsequently contributes significantly to the nearby fishery for adult J. verreauxi off Cape Reinga. Evidence for this is based on the overall smaller size and fewer mature rock lobsters at North Cape compared to areas nearby, and on the results of tagging experiments carried out during 1976–77. Rock lobsters tagged at North Cape moved 21–514 km, mainly west and south, before recapture at minimum rates of 0.03–2.00 krn.d^‐1. For females at least, the movement away from North Cape usually occurs at about the time that sexual maturity is attained. Rock lobsters tagged near Cape Reinga moved 3–34 km west at minimum rates of 0.04–0.35 km.d^‐1.

Although the closure of the North Cape grounds to rock lobster fishing restricts the taking of the small number of legal‐sized fish available in the area, the restriction ensures less mortality and damage to the undersized fish due to handling.     

Albacore off the north‐west coast of New Zealand,February 1972

During two trolling surveys in February 1972, albacore, Thunnus alalunga (Bonnaterre), were located between Cape Reinga and Cape Egmont, but were more abundant between Kaipara Harbour and Albatross Point. Fish catches and associated hydrological data are presented. Albacore were caught only in areas where the sea surface temperatures were between 18.5°c and 21.3°c, and usually in areas where the water was blue and the bottom depth between 45 m and 80 m. The albacore were mainly of the 2‐ and 3‐year age‐groups. Of the 665 fish landed, 449 were tagged and released, but no recoveries have been made.

Commercial vessels located albacore within 20 km of New Plymouth during the summers of 1970 and 1971 when sea surface temperatures were 1.5–2.5°c higher than in February 1972, probably because of a more southward extension of the West Auckland Current in 1970 and 1971.     

Limnology of Bird Pond,Ross Island,Antarctica

The physical, chemical and biological properties of Bird Pond, Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica (77° 13’ 10” S, 166° 28’ 30” E), were investigated at weekly intervals for 2 months in the summer of 1970–71. The above properties were also investigated over a 24‐h period. Salinity and temperature tolerance of the rotifer Philodina gregaria were investigated in the laboratory at Cape Bird.

Bird Pond is characterised by a high conductivity and chloride ion concentration, and an alkaline pH. It has a water temperature as high as 15°c in mid summer, with the bottom water temperature often 3°c higher than the surface temperature. Diurnal measurements suggest a vertical movement of phytoplankton during a 24‐h period. P. gregaria survives ionic concentrations up to 250 000 g.m^‐3 Na⁺ + Cl^‐, and water temperatures up to 32°c.     

Coastal distribution,movements and site fidelity of right whales Eubalaena australis off South Africa, 1969–1998

Counts and photographs of right whales Eubalaena australis taken on aerial surveys of the southern coast of South Africa between 1969 and 1998 have been used to examine patterns of coastal distribution between successive 20-minute bins of longitude. Some bins had consistently higher densities of whales than others, cither of cows with calves or of unaccompanied adults. Apart from an overall increase in density, the centre of distribution shifted 40–60 minutes of longitude to the west over the 30-year period. Most (>93.4%) female calves born on the South African coast returned there to have their first calf, but only 52.9% were photographed with their first calf in the same or an adjacent bin as that of their natal year. This compares with 60.9% of multigravid females that occurred in the same or an adjacent bin as that of their previous calf, with significantly more west-ward (368) than eastward (255) shifts in distribution between calves. Approximate residence times for cow-calf pairs in the De Hoop region were 12–105 (average = 59.0 ± 3.9) days: dispersal rates were low between July and September but increased thereafter. Incidental records of coastwise movement were mainly to the west, but were probably influenced by the survey direction. Distances moved ranged from 6 to 202 km. at average speeds of 0.08–2.89 km·h^?1. Theodolite tracking of undisturbed groups of right whales from Cape Columbine produced a similar range of swimming speeds. Inter-calf movements of cows between the survey area and the coasts to both east and west indicated that the entire South African coast could be considered as one homogeneous winter assemblage area for right whales.     

Distribution,population size and conservation of the Cape gannet Morus capensis

The Cape gannet is endemic to the southern African coast where it currently breeds at six islands: Mercury, Ichaboe and Possession off South West Africa and Bird (Lambert's Bay), Malgas and Bird (Algoa Bay) off South Africa. Previously, breeding also occurred at Hollams Bird, Halifax and Seal (False Bay) Islands. Equivocal records for Marcus, Dassen and Dyer Islands are not accepted. Off South West Africa, gannets were breeding at Hollams Bird, Mercury and Ichaboe Islands at least as early as 1828, but they only occupied Halifax and Possession Islands sometime between that date and c. 1885, possibly as a result of displacement of gannets from Ichaboe Island during exploitation of accumulated guano deposits in the early 1840s. Gannets bred at Hollams Bird Island until at least 1938, but had ceased breeding at Halifax Island by 1928. Off South Africa the earliest records of breeding are 1648, 1687, 1755 and 1912 for Malgas, Seal (False Bay), Bird (Port Elizabeth) and Bird (Lambert's Bay) Islands respectively. Gannets have not been reported at Seal Island since the late 17th century. On the west coast of Africa the Cape gannet is a regular nonbreeding winter visitor as far north as 4°20′N 6°00′E, but west of 6°E it is rare. On the east coast of Africa it is a common winter visitor as far north as Delagoa Bay, but farther north it is rare. Within its normal range the Cape gannet seldom occurs farther off shore than 100 km; it hardly ever moves inland. Aerial censuses of Cape gannets at breeding islands in 1967, 1969, 1978, 1980 and 1981 are compared with an aerial census conducted in 1956 and other published estimates of abundance. Between 1956 and 1980 the estimated number of breeding pairs at all colonies decreased from c. 150 000 to c. 80 000 and numbers decreased at all three extant gannetries off South West Africa. These decreases are attributed to a greatly diminished food resource following the collapse of the South West African pilchard stock after the late 1960s. The number of gannets decreased at Bird (Lambert's Bay) and Malgas Islands between 1956 and the late 1960s but subsequently increased, trends that are related to performances of the Western Cape pilchard and anchovy resources respectively. At Bird Island (Algoa Bay) gannets were up to 3,5 times more abundant in the late 1970s than in 1956. Other marine resources located east of Cape Point have shown similar large increases in recent years. Rates of increase of gannets at islands off South Africa during the 1970s would have required an unrealistically high survival for the first year had other population parameters remained constant. It is possible that birds emigrated from the South West African Islands. Few gannets have been reported oiled, and conservation of the species seems to be mainly affected by greatly reduced prey availability and injudicious guano harvesting. Human exploitation of juvenile gannets off the West African coast is difficult to assess.     

Sperm whales stranded at Muriwai Beach,New Zealand

The composition and apparent social structure of a harem school of sperm whales Physeter catodon (Linnaeus 1758) is described from a mass stranding at Muriwai Beach, New Zealand, 29 October 1974. This school contained a total of 54 female whales accompanied by 17 immature males and a solitary full‐grown bull.

Evidence is provided which supports the contention that sperm whales in this region of the Pacific reach the same lengths at sexual maturity and follow a similar breeding cycle to those found elsewhere in the southern hemisphere.     

Early growth rate and feeding of a small group of laboratory-reared saury,Scomberesox saurus scombroides (Pisces: Scomberesocidae)

Sea-spawned saury eggs collected 20 km off the west coast of the Cape Peninsula were hatched in laboratory tanks and the larvae reared. The larvae were fed initially on nauplii of cultured copepods, Tisbe holothuriae Humes and Pseudodiaptomus hessei (Mrázek). Growth rate during the first 47 days post-hatch averaged 0,62 mm·day^?1 (at 18—19°C) and between the 47th and 120th day averaged 0,45 mm·day^?1 (at 14,8—15,5°C). Some observations on feeding behaviour are included.     

Long-term trends in cetacean occurrence during the annual sardine run off the Wild Coast,South Africa

During the austral winter, cetaceans and other apex predators follow the annual northeastward movement of shoaling sardines, known as the sardine run, along the southeast coast of South Africa, including a 400-km stretch called the Wild Coast. In total, 131 opportunistic aerial surveys were conducted between May and July, from 1996 to 2014, to monitor sardine movement. Cetacean-sighting data from these surveys were analysed, focusing on long-term trends in frequencies of the cetaceans. In total, 630 sightings involving five cetacean species were recorded: 268 (approximately 32 400 individuals) of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin Tursiops aduncus, 108 (approximately 79 400 individuals) of long-beaked common dolphin Delphinus capensis, 242 (approximately 670 individuals) of humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae, 1 (two individuals) of southern right whale Eubalaena australis, and 11 (16 individuals) of Bryde’s whale Balaenoptera edeni. The occurrence of common dolphins, typically associated with sardines, decreased significantly in average group size over the study period (p = 0.0343); bottlenose dolphins, considered generalist feeders, demonstrated no such trend (p = 0.916). Humpback whales were most frequently sighted between 2010 and 2014, and with significantly larger groups observed towards the end of the study period (p = 0.0121). For all these species, more sightings were made inside than outside of marine protected areas (>70% of the dolphin species, and >65% of the humpback whales), both pre- and post-2005 (from 2005 the size of the survey area increased). The results indicate that movements of the common dolphin may be employed as a proxy for sardine occurrence. Long-term trends evident in the data also demonstrate the importance of this coastal region for bottlenose dolphins as well as use as a migratory corridor for humpback whales.     

Seasonal fluctuations in occurrence of inshore Bryde's whales in Plettenberg Bay,South Africa,with notes on feeding and multispecies associations

Seasonal fluctuations in the occurrence of inshore South African Bryde's whales Balaenoptera edeni were investigated between November 2005 and June 2008. Sighting data were collected in Plettenberg Bay on the south-east coast of South Africa. Bryde's whale occurrence was modelled in relation to the following environmental covariates: sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a concentrations and wind speed. Seasonal increases in encounter rates (sightings per day) were observed during summer and autumn, with a peak in April that corresponded to increased feeding activity and above average aggregation sizes. All three environmental covariates were significant factors in terms of explaining variability in the occurrence of whales. Multispecies associations with common dolphins Delphinus capensis and Cape gannets Morus capensis were most common in summer and autumn, when feeding activity was highest.     

Multi-stakeholder collaboration yields valuable data for cetacean conservation in Gamba,Gabon

Private industry, the Government of Gabon and two international NGOs collaborated to conduct marine surveys off the coast of Gabon, Central Africa. Surveys addressed multiple objectives of surveillance and monitoring, the documentation of the distribution of and threats to the marine megafauna, and capacity-building among government agents and local early-career scientists. During 22 days of survey effort over a two-year period, observers documented humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae, bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii and common dolphins Delphinus delphis. Humpback whale presence was limited to the months of July to November. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round and photo-identification of individuals indicated a closed, resident population, with an abundance estimate of 118 (CV = 21.6%, 95% CI 78–180). Small open-decked fishing vessels with gillnets were observed concentrated around river mouths within 2 km of shore, while commercial trawlers were at least 10 km offshore; all were confirmed to be registered and legal. Observations of marine turtles, flocks of marine birds, and floating logs and other debris were sparse. This multi-stakeholder collaboration to conduct a marine survey can serve as an effective model by which funding and logistic support from private industry paired with technical expertise from NGOs and academic institutions can benefit marine and coastal conservation.     

Variability in the nutritional value of the major copepods in Cape Cod Bay (Massachusetts, USA) with implications for right whales

The North Atlantic right whale, a seriously endangered species, is found in Cape Cod Bay (Massachusetts, USA) during the winter and early spring. During their residency in these waters, these whales are frequently observed feeding. This study evaluated spatial and temporal changes in the chemical composition (carbon weight and C/N ratio) of the food resource targeted by the right whales in Cape Cod Bay. The three taxa measured (Centropages typicus, Pseudocalanus spp., and Calanus finmarchicus) had highly variable chemical compositions resulting from the different life strategies and from fluctuations in their surrounding environment. The impact of seasonal variability in the energy densities of the food resource of right whales was calculated and compared to the energetic requirements of these whales. Calculations indicated that differences in the nutritional content of the zooplankton prey in Cape Cod Bay could have a considerable effect on the nutrition available to the right whales. Therefore, it is likely that using more precise estimates of the energetic densities of the prey of right whales would lead to a re‐evaluation of the adequacy of the food resource available to these whales in the North Atlantic.     

New Zealand sea lions,phocarctos hookeri,on the snares islands

Abstract

New Zealand sea lions, Phocarctos hookeri (Gray, 1844), on Main Island of the Snares Islands (48° S) are restricted to the eastern coastal region between Molly Bay and Punui Bay. In the 1970–71 summer, a maximum of 47 sea lions (36 ?, 11 ?) was counted in one day, 5 January 1971.

A female and pup were seen several times in January and February 1969, and a second mother‐pup pair in January 1971. These sightings, with a similar record in 1907, show that small numbers of sea lions may breed on the Snares Islands, north of the main breeding area at the Auckland Islands (51° S).     

The distribution of spiny lobsters in New Zealand waters (Crustacea: Decapoda: Palinuridae)

Two species of spiny lobsters (marine crayfish) inhabit New Zealand waters: Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875), and J verreauxi (H. Milne Edwards, 1851). J edwardsii, the more common species, is present along most rocky coastlines in New Zealand, but is more abundant in the south‐west of the South Island and at the Chatham Islands. The species apparently reaches its northern limit of distribution at the Three Kings Islands (34°S) and its southern limit at the Auckland Islands (51°S).

J. verreauxi, the less common species, is almost solely restricted in New Zealand waters to the north‐east coast of the North Island. It is uncommon in the west and the south of the North Island, and is rare in the South Island. J. verreauxi apparently reaches its northern limit of distribution at the Kermadec Islands (31°S), and its southern limit near Bluff (47°S) in the South Island.     

Video observations on the habitat association of demersal nekton in the midshelf benthic environment off the Orange River,Namibia

A semi-quantitative assessment is made of the animals observed in archived videotapes taken from the research submersible Jago, during diamond mining and exploratory surveys off the mouth of the Orange River on the west coast of southern Africa (28°15′S, 29°11′S) in November 1996. The seabed environment is described and nekton associations with substratum features are identified. The area is characterized by heterogeneity to its physical and biological struture. The variety of observed nekton is low, and communities are dominated by goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus, juvenile hake Merluccius spp. and cuttlefish Sepia spp. (on soft substrata), as well as false jacopever Sebastes capensis and kingklip Genypterus capensis (on rocky substrata).     

Melanistic southern right‐whale dolphins (Lissodelphis peronii) off Kaikoura,New Zealand,with records of other anomalously all‐black cetaceans

Reports of anomalously pigmented cetaceans, including melanistic (all‐black) individuals are infrequent. We observed four melanistic southern right‐whale dolphins (Lissodelphis peronii) including a calf, off Kaikoura (42°34'S, 173°50'E), New Zealand. We also compiled records of melanistic individuals from five other species of cetaceans. The ecological context of melanistic pigmentation of cetaceans is not well understood; however, it may increase heat absorption, affect ability to capture prey, impair visual/social communication, and/or increase conspicuousness to predators.     

Some seasonal water temperature patterns in the Hauraki gulf,New Zealand

The changing pattern of water temperature in the Hauraki Gulf at approximately two‐monthly intervals during one and one‐half seasonal cycles in 1965–66 was determined from sea surface temperatures and bathythermograph profiles.

Surface and bottom temperatures ranged from 22.0°c and 20.5°c respectively in March to 12.5°c and 13.0°c in July‐September. Seasonal temperature ranges and short‐term variations were greatest in the shallow south‐west Gulf.

In winter the Gulf water was coolest close to shore. It was typically isothermal in depth but a temperature inversion of approximately l°c frequently formed, probably because of the combination of strong winds and an increased outflow of cool, low salinity water from harbours and bays. A similar inversion in Colville Channel may have been caused by more complex tidal and/or ocean current conditions.

In spring and summer the Gulf became thermally stratified, with warmest temperatures in the shallow areas. Thermoclines were generally irregular in position and size, and probably represented solar heating and minor current boundaries rather than a distinct separation of major water masses. In late summer and autumn bottom temperatures increased and almost equalled the maximum surface temperature.

During autumn surface water temperatures close to land decreased rapidly to return the Gulf to its winter isothermal condition.

Local factors (wind, rainfall, tides, depth of water, and proximity to land) probably influence sea temperatures in the Gulf. Seawards of a line from Cape Rodney to Cape Colville oceanic conditions prevail; water temperatures are more constant and increase to seaward in both winter and summer.

Oceanic and Gulf waters meet and mix in the Rodney‐Colville area, and Gulf water is transported east through Colville Channel. The extent of oceanic water penetration into the Gulf at depth is unknown.     

Sperm whales in the western south pacific

The distribution and movements of sperm whales, Physeter catodon Linn., in the western South Pacific (latitudes 30–70° S, longitudes 150E‐150°W) are examined. An undetermined number of catches by nineteenth century American whaleships, 9,720 catches by pelagic fleets in 1961–70, and 427 sightings in 1967 are analysed and correlated with oceanographic data from Australian and New Zealand surveys.

The proportion of females decreases southwards, abruptly at about latitude 44° S in the Tasman Sea, and at about 46–47° S east of New Zealand. Virtually no females occur south of 50° S. The male population density also decreases southwards: the density between 50–70° S appears to be less than 25% of that between 30–50° S. Sperm whales also appear to be less abundant in the eastern part of the region away from the New Zealand plateau, but more data are required.

The pattern of distribution and its seasonal changes probably correlate with vertical temperature gradients of about 5°c in the upper 100 m of water, i.e., optimal conditions for squid schooling. Catch per unit effort in autumn is lower than in spring. A northward population shift in autumn is inferred, based on reduction of available food species and probable temperature tolerances of calves, most of which are born in February and March, towards the end of the southern summer. Some males overwinter in areas where suitable gradients persist, e.g., around the Chatham Islands.

Possibly the summer surface temperature maxima south of the South Island are low enough to inhibit the passage of breeding schools with calves from one side of the New Zealand archipelago to the other. Sperm whales do not pass through Cook Strait normally. Thus, unless considerable mixing of stocks occurs north of New Zealand in winter, there may be two “unit stocks”, one oscillating seasonally between the central Tasman Sea and the Fiji‐Tonga region, and another (probably smaller) between the east coast of the South Island and the region just north of the Chatham Islands.     

Dusky dolphins Lagenorhynchus obscurus and Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus: fatty acid composition of their blubber and prey species

The fatty acid composition of the blubber of five dusky dolphins Lagenorhynchus obscurus and five Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus from the northern Benguela ecosystem (South-East Atlantic) and their main prey was determined. Differences in fatty acid composition of the inner and outer blubber layer of the dolphins were substantial, with higher relative amounts of monoenic fatty acids with 14, 16 and 18 carbons in the outer layer and higher relative amounts of saturated, long-chain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the inner layer. This stratification is similar to the general pattern that has been observed in a variety of marine mammals, but the degree of stratification is the highest yet observed, with the long-chained (n3) fatty acids being more than 20 times more abundant in the inner than in the outer layer. On the other hand, the seals’ blubber consisted of only one uniform layer, densely supported by connective tissue. The whole-body fatty acid composition of the prey was species specific. The dolphins and seals had significantly different fatty acid composition of their blubber. In both species, the blubber fatty acid composition was different from the composition of the prey, indicating that a phylogenetic component is involved in the determination of the fatty acid composition of the blubber.     

Spatial and temporal distribution of chlorophyll in southern African waters as deduced from ship and satellite measurements and their implications for pelagic fisheries

Information is presented on the distribution of chlorophyll a between the Cunene River (18°S), on the border of South West Africa (Namibia) and Angola, and East London (28°E) on the east coast of South Africa. Spectrophotometric measurements of samples collected during various research cruises and estimates from satellite measurements were used. The coast was divided into a number of oceanographic regions. Spatial and temporal variation of chlorophyll a in the waters off central-northern South West Africa, the Lüderitz region, the South-Western Cape and the Algoa region are discussed in some detail. There was a narrow coastal band of moderate to high chlorophyll a (3 to in excess of 10 mg·m^?3) at the surface between Cape Cross (22°S) and Möwe Point (c. 19°S) throughout most of the year, whereas in much of the area between 23 and 33°S concentrations reached maximum values in autumn. Along the South-Western Cape coast, high concentrations of chlorophyll a were observed in the St Helena Bay area up to 90 km off shore throughout the year, evenly distributed in the upper 30 m. A narrower band of high concentrations of chlorophyll a extended southwards to Cape Agulhas during summer when upwelling was most active. During late summer and autumn a subsurface maximum developed on the Agulhas Bank associated with the thermocline. Low to moderate concentrations were widespread over the entire coastal zone during winter, with strong mixing in the upper 50 — 100 m. A fairly consistent feature of the Algoa region was the presence of moderate concentrations of chlorophyll associated with a wedge-shaped zone of coastal and dynamic upwelling. The implications of the distribution of chlorophyll in time and space are discussed with respect to the distribution and migration of pelagic fish species, particularly anchovy.     

Distribution and relative density of cetaceans in the Hauraki Gulf,New Zealand

Understanding species distributions, and how they change in space and time, is vital when prioritising conservation or management initiatives. We assessed the distribution and density patterns of common dolphins (Delphinus sp.), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand. Dedicated boat-based surveys were conducted in the inner Hauraki Gulf (IHG) and off Great Barrier Island (GBI) during 2010–2012. Generalised linear models were used to investigate temporal changes in relative densities and kernel density estimation was implemented to examine spatial trends. Common dolphins were widely distributed during all seasons, with higher densities observed during winter and spring in the IHG but during autumn off GBI. There was inter-annual variation in Bryde’s whale distribution, with high densities recorded off GBI in 2011. Bottlenose dolphins were infrequently sighted in the IHG but regularly encountered off GBI, with the highest densities during spring and summer.