Ocean Conservation

A DigitalNZ Story by National Library of New Zealand Topics

Aotearoa New Zealand has a historic connection with the sea. Find information about some of our major marine concerns and what is being done to conserve and protect our ocean environments. SCIS no: 1908761

social_sciences, technology, history, science, Māori, maths, arts

Image: Seal cubs

Seal cubs

Alexander Turnbull Library

For Seaweek and beyond

Services to Schools

Image: Oceans

Oceans

National Library of New Zealand

Image: Hector's Dolphin

Hector's Dolphin

iNaturalist NZ — Mātaki Taiao

Image: 'The Sea: A Place to Live' artwork, 1980

'The Sea: A Place to Live' artwork, 1980

Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Ocean education

Services to Schools

Ocean conservation

Services to Schools

The facts

Services to Schools

Image: The Plastiki

The Plastiki

Radio New Zealand

Image: Sea Mammals

Sea Mammals

Alexander Turnbull Library

World Ocean Day

Services to Schools

Marine studies centre

Services to Schools

Young Ocean Explorers

Services to Schools

Marae Moana

Services to Schools

Acts and treaties

Services to Schools

Marine conservation: Pollution

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Ocean clean up

Services to Schools

Oil pollution

Services to Schools

Image: Organisms in ballast water

Organisms in ballast water

Manatū Taonga, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage

Image: Scientific Research. "The average whale has 20-30 kg of plastic in its guts - so we could argue that we're recycling AND cleaning up the oceans"

Recycling and cleaning up the oceans

With so much plastic in our oceans, there have been endless reports of marine life dying after ingesting plastic they have mistaken for food. The men on board this Japanese ship argue that they are hunting whales, not just for research (as Japan claimed they do) but also as an act of recycling and cleaning up the ocean because the average whale eats 20-30 kg of plastic from the ocean! Recently a young male sperm whale was found dead off the coast of Spain with 30 kg of mostly rubbish bags, polypropylene sacks, ropes and net segments in its digestive system. Sperm whales usually feed on large squid, sharks, crabs, shrimp and fish.

Scientific Research. "The average whale has 20-30 kg of plastic in its guts - so we could argue that we're recycling AND cleaning up the oceans"

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: A fishy tale from the Gulf of Mexico - "It's either a solar eclipse or we're swimming in a giant oil spill." 3 May 2010

A fishy tale from the Gulf of Mexico

These fish in the Gulf of Mexico wonder if the darkness that surrounds them is due to a solar eclipse or worse, a giant oil spill. In fact, it was an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010, one of the worst in U.S. history. It was a result of the explosion and sinking of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Underwater cameras showed a pipe leaking oil and gas into the ocean. The well leaked around 3.19 million barrels of oil into the ocean. Seabirds and turtles became smothered in oil, dead fish in brown sludge. From the shoreline, dolphin strandings, oil-covered beaches and dead wildlife were some of the immediate visible effects. The long term damage is still being studied.

A fishy tale from the Gulf of Mexico - "It's either a solar eclipse or we're swimming in a giant oil spill." 3 May 2010

Alexander Turnbull Library

Image: Bromhead, Peter, 1933- :The South Pacific. 1 June 1981.

Radioactive poison in the Pacific

A Pacific man despairs as he looks at the container of radioactive poison that he has received from France. This radioactive material is the result of testing nuclear weapons by the French on Mururoa Atoll. President Charles de Gaulle remarked that the explosion looked ‘beautiful’, little realising the serious and long-lasting impact it would have on the island and its surrounding environment. Today there are reports that radioactive material is leaking into the sea. There has also been an increase in the number of people suffering from cancer and leukaemia potentially due to radiation exposure. Currently Mururoa atoll still remains a no-go zone.

Bromhead, Peter, 1933- :The South Pacific. 1 June 1981.

Alexander Turnbull Library

Tangaroa – the sea

Services to Schools

What is a gyre?

Services to Schools

Coral gardening

Services to Schools

Marine reserves A–Z

Services to Schools

EPIC

Services to Schools