Earthquake impacts on a protected pinniped in New Zealand

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dc.citation.issue1
dc.citation.volume34
dc.contributor.authorHall AA
dc.contributor.authorChilvers BL
dc.contributor.authorWeir JS
dc.contributor.authorBoren LJ
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-30T02:37:27Z
dc.date.available2024-07-30T02:37:27Z
dc.date.issued2024-01-03
dc.description.abstractThe impacts of natural disasters on marine mammals are poorly understood and difficult to study, which can hamper management responses following such events. This study provides the first distribution and abundance assessment of New Zealand fur seal (NZFS: Arctocephalus forsteri) colonies around Kaikōura, New Zealand, since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in November 2016 caused substantial changes to both the local marine and terrestrial environments, and led to the reconstruction of a major highway that runs adjacent to NZFS colonies. Mark–recapture and direct counts in the 2022–2023 breeding season estimated pup production for NZFS breeding colonies along the Kaikōura coast. Using established multipliers, pup estimates were used to provide the first comprehensive population estimate for Kaikōura's NZFS population since the earthquake. Three new colonies and three new subcolonies were assessed and recorded, additional to reassessments of two established colonies. Overall, Kaikōura's NZFS population has grown and spread post-earthquake, with an upper total population estimate of between 21,560 and 28,327 animals in the 2022–2023 breeding season. Some sites, such as Lynch's Reef, appear to have benefited from earthquake-induced coastal uplift, with pup production increasing. Contrastingly, the estimated 2,401 (±99) pups produced at Ōhau Point in 2023 is similar to pre-earthquake estimates. This indicates that the earthquake has disrupted previously documented growth at this site. The distribution of NZFS breeding at Ōhau Point has also changed substantially since the last pre-earthquake assessment. From these findings, alterations to the Ōhau Point New Zealand Fur Seal Sanctuary and similar protections at other locations on the Kaikōura coast are suggested, as greater numbers of NZFSs are now accessible to human interaction and disturbance. The results demonstrate both how natural disasters and subsequent infrastructure modifications can impact coastal species and how conservation measures may need to be amended accordingly.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.editionJanuary 2024
dc.identifier.citationHall AA, Chilvers BL, Weir JS, Boren LJ. (2024). Earthquake impacts on a protected pinniped in New Zealand. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 34. 1.
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/aqc.4055
dc.identifier.eissn1099-0755
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn1052-7613
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/71150
dc.languageEnglish
dc.publisherJohn Wiley and Sons, Inc.
dc.publisher.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aqc.4055
dc.relation.isPartOfAquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems
dc.rights(c) 2024 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY-NC 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subjectabundance
dc.subjectArctocephalus forsteri
dc.subjectbreeding distribution
dc.subjectmark–recapture
dc.subjectnatural disaster
dc.subjectNew Zealand fur sea
dc.titleEarthquake impacts on a protected pinniped in New Zealand
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id485756
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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