Dive report: Te Matuku Marine Reserve, Passage Rock
20m North East of Passage Rock
10 Jan, 2022, 12:30pm
High Tide 1:40 pm
Red-billed gulls breeding and Reef heron fishing on Passage Rock.
75m transect
35minutes
Current low
Vis 2m
Depth 5m
Substrate: Rocks and sand => Gravel => Mud
Epibenthic fauna dominated by Mediterranean fanworm and pleated tunicate barring a nice patch of White-striped anemone.
Mud was soft and deep, I put my hand in seven times. Green lipped mussel shell four times at 25cm, scallop twice at 10-15cm, one plunge found no shell.
Nice to find a fisher parked by my boat when I surfaced to check I wasn't fishing in the marine reserve :D
Observations
Photos / Sounds
What
Common Triplefin (Forsterygion lapillum)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
Abundant
Photos / Sounds
What
Tawera spissaObserver
shaun-leeDescription
This ID is for the abundant round shell. The shells were exposed by another animal digging on the seafloor.
Photos / Sounds
What
Eleven-armed Sea Star (Coscinasterias muricata)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
It was eating oysters
Photos / Sounds
What
Kuku (New Zealand Green Lipped Mussel) (Perna canaliculus)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
Four of four shells dug up at 25cm depth
Photos / Sounds
What
Horse Mussel (Atrina zelandica)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
Three live counted
Photos / Sounds
What
Mediterranean Fanworm (Sabella spallanzanii)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
Abundant
Photos / Sounds
What
Tipa (New Zealand Scallop) (Pecten novaezelandiae)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
One of two shells dug up at 10cm deep
Photos / Sounds
What
Matuku Moana (Reef Heron) (Egretta sacra)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
I could see yellow on its beak and legs
Photos / Sounds
What
Red-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae ssp. scopulinus)Observer
shaun-leeDescription
Breeding, two juveniles seen, other breeding on rocks not investigated but a WFT was also agitated by my presence
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