Benthic Protection Areas
World Leading Protection
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The protection of the largest ever area of seabed in the world was announced by the Government on 4 April 2007 and came into effect on the 15 November 2007. This initiative means that 17 BPAs (Benthic Protection Areas) within the New Zealand EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) are closed to bottom trawl fishing methods in perpetuity.
These areas comprise over 1.2million km2 of seabed, an area equal to 32% of the EEZ - more than four times the New Zealand landmass. Protection is also provided under the accord to 52% of all seamounts within the New Zealand EEZ and 88% of identified hydrothermal vents.
Download our BPA Fact Sheet for more information.
BPA Fact Sheet 1.3MB
Underwater Footage of Pristine Coral Area - Copyright NIWA
Industry and Government Collaboration
The New Zealand commercial fishing industry approached the Government in 2006 with the BPA proposal to establish a level of certainty in fishing areas and as an acknowledgment that the industry needs to operate responsibly. Industry was seeking a balance that would allow New Zealand's $1.6b commercial fishing industry to continue operating and exporting while at the same time responding to concerns about protecting the marine environment. The objective of these large Marine Protected Areas was not to manage fisheries but to protect large areas of predominantly pristine benthic ecosystems.
Controlled Interaction
Orange Roughy swimming over Coral
The closure of the areas comes with strict rules to control fishing by methods other than bottom trawling. This will ensure that no trawls ever touch the seabed. Any vessel entering the BPAs to fish will carry two Ministry of Fisheries observers on board, will be monitored from shore by satellite tracking technologies and will utilise the latest net monitoring technologies to accurately monitor where the net is in relation to the seabed at all times.
Historically, 16 out of the 17 BPAs have had some level of interaction with bottom trawling. The BPA accord now dictates that this will no longer happen and what is pristine in those areas will remain pristine and what may have been disturbed is now left to return to its natural state.
Key Areas
Of the 17 BPA's established under the BPA accord, five key areas are noted as holding global environmental value as recognised by the United Nations and WWF.
Tectonic Reach BPA
Tectonic Reach BPA
Spanning 13,700 square kilometres, the Techtonic Reach BPA covers an area with a higher concentration of seamounts and hydrothermal vents than any other of the New Zealand seabed. An extremely productive area sees vent organisms that are highly adapted to a unique ecosystem that operates independently from the sun. WWF has said that "vent habitats merit priority for conservation because of their uniqueness, restricted range and vulnerability". The United Nations has also singled out seamounts and hydrothermal vents as in need of protection.
Kermadec BPA
Kermadec BPA
The Kermadec BPA covers an area of 620,500 square kilometres which includes a string of submarine volcanoes, hydrothermal vents and an ocean trench over 10 kilometres deep in some places. WWF has said that such trenches "are perhaps the most pristine of New Zealand's marine environments".
Fiordland BPA
Fiordland BPA
An area from the territorial sea to the 200 mile limit New Zealand of New Zealand waters, the Fiordland BPA covers 40,600 square kilometres. Offering a unique opportunity to go from the protected Fiordland National Park to the abyss of the ocean, the Fiordland BPA protects significant coral formations identified by the United Nations as a "delicate and vulnerable ecosystem" worthy of such protection.
Sub-Antarctic BPA
Sub Antarctic BPA
With the Australian Macquarie Island Marine Park nearby, the Sub-Antarctic BPA offers the opportunity for international co-operation in marine protection. Covering 98,400 square kilometres, the Sub-Antarctic BPA is largely unexplored but is known to include cold water coral habitation.
Antipodes Transect BPA
Antipodes Transect BPA
Covering an area of 108,200 square kilometres, the Antipodes Transect BPA provides protection to the waters around the Antipodes Island World Heritage Site and a buffer around the existing Bollons Seamount closure. The area around Antipodes Island has crystal clear oceanic water and according to the Department of Conservation, contains "a varied and diverse range of habitats for marine flora and fauna".
The Antipodes Transect covers part of a key biodiversity area identified by WWF (the Deep Western Boundary Current), described as the biggest river in the world.