Okakari Point to Cape Rodney marine reserve: a biological survey

Abstract

The Marine Reserve at Leigh was gazetted in November I975 but it is worth-while to trace the course of exploitation in the reserve area both before and after its official establishment. While it is difficult to determine with any accuracy the extent of exploitation in the past, some general points can be made. Commercial and amateur fishing for snapper and crayfish have been carried out for many years in this area and the original populations of both these species have probably been considerably depleted. Experienced spearfishermen operated in the reserve area from the early 1950's until the early 1970's, with a peak in this activity in the mid 1950's. These people swam long distances and speared relatively few fish and probably affected the entire reserve to a limited extent, but had a slightly greater effect in the central third of the reserve around Goat Island. The species speared by this group were primarily snapper, Kingfish, blue moki, red moki and porae. Inexperienced spearfishermen fished only in the immediate Goat Island Bay and Channel area and had a peak effect in the late 1960's and early 1970's. This group speared most species more than 20-30 cm long, especially red moki and leatherjackets. Scuba diving for crayfish, both 'commercial' and amateur, was widespread in the reserve area during the 1960's and early 1970's, adding effect of commercial pottinq.