Bay of Islands Ocean Survey 20/20 project completed

A two-year ocean and coastal survey project in the Bay of Islands is now complete, Land Information New Zealand announced today.

LINZ and NIWA will hold a public meeting to present the results of the ocean survey. At the meeting NIWA will provide an audio-visual presentation demonstrating the functions and showcasing the content of a web portal which will contain the survey data. There will also be presentations from NIWA staff members who have worked on the survey project and from representatives of the local authority and central government.

The meeting, which will be open to the public, will be held at 7pm on Wednesday July 14 at the Copthorne Hotel in Paihia.

There will be short presentations by local and central government agencies involved in the project, as well as from key stakeholders. There will also be a question and answer session in which members of the public will be invited to put questions about the survey to an expert panel.

“This is a great opportunity for NIWA and LINZ to present the results of this survey to locals,” says Dr Mark Morrison, Fisheries Ecologist for NIWA.

“It’s not often that such a comprehensive ocean and coastal survey is conducted in New Zealand, and the results will provide residents of the Bay of Islands with very useful information about the local marine environment and ecosystems,” says Dr Morrison.

LINZ is the government agency responsible for co-ordinating the Ocean Survey 20/20 programme, which is a cross-government initiative. LINZ contracted NIWA to conduct the Bay of Islands survey project under the Ocean Survey 20/20 programme.

The survey, which was conducted by NIWA from 2008 until 2010, was completed in two phases. The first phase involved a comprehensive seafloor mapping exercise, and the second involved biodiversity sampling.

“We think locals will find the survey results fascinating and will be keen to be involved in a discussion about the results,” says Dr Morrison.

“There has been a great deal of interest in and support for this project and this is our opportunity to say thank you.”

ENDS

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