Macrocystis pyrifera beds within the South-East marine protection planning area.
The main Macrocystis beds within the South-East MPPF area are located in North Otago with a smaller area north of Nugget Point. Small outcrops are not shown in this dataset but have been reported on Akatore reef, near the entrance to Hoopers Inlet, alongside the Aramoana mole and some reef areas within Otago Harbour.
Macrocystis pyrifera, commonly known as giant kelp or giant bladder kelp, is a species of kelp and the largest of all algal species. M. pyrifera is found in North America (Alaska to California), South America, South Africa, New Zealand, and southern Australia. It thrives in cooler waters where the ocean water temperature remains below 21 °C. M. pyrifera is one of the fastest growing organisms on Earth as in perfect conditions individuals may grow to more than 45 metres long at a rate of as much as 61 cm per day. Where the bottom is rocky and affords places for it to anchor, giant kelp forms extensive kelp beds with large floating canopies. These forests are home to many marine species who depend upon the kelp directly for food and shelter, or indirectly as a hunting ground for prey. (Wikipedia)
Macrocystis requires a hard substrate in order to latch onto the sea floor. Heavy seas can dislodge individuals from the substrate which can alter the canopy extent.
In 2009, attached M. pyrifera was included in the New Zealand Quota Management System (QMS) which allows for commercial harvest within the South-East coast fisheries management area (FMA 3).
The North Otago features were created by Jim Fyfe and Andrew Lonie of DOC using satellite imagery captured on the 3rd of May 2004 (Landsat-7 ETM+). The imagery used to create the features between Kaka Point and Nugget Point were captured on the 23rd of May 2005 at an altitude of 9500ft.
This dataset is not a true representation of all areas where Macrocystis may be able to grow, it only displays areas where Macrocystis was visible within the available imagery. Factors like water clarity, turbidity, water depth, sun angle, cloud cover and past sea conditions may all influence the amount of Macrocystis visible within an image.
Jim Fyfe and Andrew Lonie
Department of Conservation - Te Papa Atawhai
Any changes in canopy structure or extent since the original image capture have not been included.
Only Macrocystis beds that were visible within the images were included in the dataset.
Lost information caused by an error in the Landsat satellite sensor resulted in some boundaries being generalised. The original image had a resolution of 30m.
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