Moana Backbone model supports unique Islands in the Hauraki Gulf
The Moana Backbone model, developed as part of the Moana Project’s Ngā Ripo o te Moana workstream, helps management of the waters around The Noises, a chain of predator free islands in the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park.
The Noises Islands from air. Photo by Joseph Neureuter.
The Noises Islands from air. Photo by Joseph Neureuter.
These islands have one of the few remaining wild populations of kūtai, or green-lipped mussels, in the Hauraki Gulf / Tīkapa Moana / Te Moananui-ā-Toi, after vast mussel beds were destroyed by commercial fishing last century. There is strong iwi and community interest in restoring the kūtai to the Hauraki Gulf not only because of their ecological importance for providing fish nursery habitat, filtering water and breaking down excessive nutrients, but as an important source of kaimoana.
The Moana Backbone model which is a 25+ year hindcast of Aotearoa New Zealand’s water movements was used with particle tracking software OpenDrift to simulate the dispersal of kūtai larvae released by the adult kūtai from around The Noises islands. Moana Project team member Professor Andrew Jeffs says the results show the larvae from The Noises quickly spread all over the Hauraki Gulf and beyond, indicating the importance of protecting this kūtai population to help restore kūtai to the Gulf.
Larval tracks of kūtai released from across the reefs of the Noises Islands in the Hauraki Gulf using the Moana Backbone model and the software OpenDrift.
These findings also help our understanding of other marine species, including scallops, oysters, swimming crabs, snapper, kingfish and flounder which have similar larval dispersal to kūtai and breeding adults in the waters surrounding The Noises. Having never been cleared for farming, these islands are almost entirely in their original state and are home to a raft of wildlife, both on the islands themselves and in the surrounding waters.
Green-lipped mussels in the waters surrounding The Noises Islands. Photo by Tim Haggitt.
Green-lipped mussels in the waters surrounding The Noises Islands. Photo by Tim Haggitt.
The Moana Project research informs management and conservation efforts around the breeding populations of local marine organisms. Dedicated to the protection and restoration of marine ecosystems are The Noises Trust, Tamaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum and Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, who have come together to advance marine restoration goals for The Noises.
The Noises Trust’s long-term vision is to protect, conserve and enhance the islands’ unique character, natural beauty and high ecological value and in addition start protection of the surrounding marine environment.
Trustee of The Noises Trust Sue Neureuter shared her enthusiasm about the research. “These learnings tell us how we might use wild mussel stocks for maximum positive impact over the wider Gulf. Kūtai and scallops are important to Mana Whenua and fishers and for the general health of the Hauraki Gulf through the ecosystem services they provide.”