Treasures of the sea

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• Home
• Executive Summary
• 1.0 Introduction
• 2.0 Methods
• 3.1 The Oceanography of the New Zealand Marine Ecoregion
• 3.2 Cetaceans, seals, and seabirds
  • 1. Subantarctic Islands (and continental shelf areas to 500m depth)
  • 2. Chatham Islands
  • 3. Chatham Rise
  • 4. Stewart Island
  • 5. South Island southern and eastern shelf edge
  • 6. Otago/Catlins Shelf
  • 7. Northeast South Island
  • 8. West coast of South island
  • 9. North coast of South Island
  • 10. Trench zone
  • 11. Coastal shelf and edge of the southeast coast and East Cape of the North Island
  • 12. Hauraki/northeast coast of North Island
  • 13. West coast of North island
  • 14. Three Kings Islands
  • 15. West coast basin
  • 16. Kermadec Islands
  • References and further reading
• 3.3 Fishes
• 3.4 Benthic invertebrates, algae, and plants
• 3.5 Information gaps
• 3.6 Future steps for the future of Biodiversity
• 4.0 Discussion
• 5.0 References
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• Appendix 3
• Appendix 4

4. Stewart Island

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Map ID Number: 4

Location: Area includes Southland coast, Foveaux Strait, Stewart Island, Snares, and outlying islands. (The Snares are dealt with in the subantarctic section - map number 1)

Approximate area: 39,642km²

• Description of area
• Biological attributes
• Criteria applied
• Status and management
• State of information
• References and further reading

Description of area:

Stewart Island lies on the shallow continental shelf of the South Island, separated from the mainland by Foveaux Strait, and surrounded by many offshore islands and stacks. Although there is a small human settlement the majority is uninhabited and forested.

Biological attributes:

Stewart Island has a major proportion of endemic and threatened species populations. It also has a high level of species richness with 3 species of penguin (yellow-eyed (Megadyptes antipodes), Fiordland (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus), and blue (Eudyptula minor)), 8 species of petrel, and 1 endemic shag (Stewart Island shag), which breed on islands and coasts. The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri), and several cetaceans including pilot whales (Globicephala melas), beaked whales (Mesoplodon spp.), southern right whales (Eubalaena australis), and pygmy right whales (Caperea marginata), are known from the seas around Stewart Island. The Southland coast is an important mainland site for the endangered Hector's dolphin (Cephalorynchus hectori).

Criteria applied:

Species richness; species diversity; endemism; cultural values; habitat complexity/diversity (offered by large area under protection).

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Status and management:

Much of the coast in this area is in pristine condition due to remoteness, climate, a low human population density and consequent lack of human disturbance. Stewart Island recently became a national park that includes pest-free nature reserves (e.g. Codfish Island), making it an important conservation area. Much of this major natural heritage area is accessible to the public. The area also has high cultural significance for local Maori. For example, the privately owned Muttonbird Islands are important for customary harvest of the sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus).

State of information:

Good information for seabird breeding sites. Foraging areas are less well known.

References and further reading:

Bejder and Dawson (2001), Department of Conservation (1999c), DuFresne et al. (2001).