New Zealand will impose marine reserve status on the coastal waters of the remote Auckland Islands, 460km south of the mainland.
The cluster of uninhabited subantarctic islands, which were granted World Heritage status in 1998 to recognise their wide range of plant and bird life, will also have their marine
environment protected and preserved, Conservation Minister Sandra Lee said yesterday.
A marine mammal sanctuary already offers some protection for the whales, sea lions and seals which breed in the islands' waters and on its shores.
The new marine reserve will be announced formally in the next two months, Ms Lee said.
It would mean "an absolute no-take understanding" for any fishing vessels up to 20km from the islands.
the Department of Conservation said the New Zealand sea lion and the southern right whale were "slowly rebuilding their numbers from near extinction" in the islands' waters.
The marine reserve announcement came after Ms Lee and Prime Minister Helen Clark spent two days on the islands, inspecting conservation projects involving rare albatross species as well as sea lions.
At least 46 species of breeding birds, including southern royal albatross, are found on the islands, eight of them native to the area.
Helen Clark, the first prime minister to visit the wind-swept 63,500ha island group, promised to advance projects for eradicating wild cats and feral pigs.
"When you look at the damage, you can see that over time it can really wreck the islands as a forest area and as a habitat for the birds," she said.
"The Hooker's sea lions were marvellous. I have never seen colonies like it with the big males and their harems whipping everybody into shape.
"The yellow eyed penguins and nesting albatrosses were wonderful."
- NZPA
nzherald.co.nz/environment
