A comprehensive mussel spat questionnaire, which will be used to survey mussel spat collectors and harvesters in Kaitaia and the Marlborough Sounds region. These surveys will be conducted through personal and telephone interviews, as well as online questionnaires, distributed and promoted through email. The aim of this work is to gauge and utilise the knowledge, opinions and experiences of people that have been or are involved in mussel spat aquaculture to direct and focus areas of potential future research at NIWA.

NIWA was contracted by Property and Land Management Services (PALMS) LTD to assess phytoplankton depletion due to the extension of marine farms 8431, 8432 and 8433 in East Bay, Port Underwood. This was achieved by running a hydrodynamic model over a period of 100 days (11 April to 20 July 2005) and was validated by the associated ADCP data. Results revealed that the overall depletion footprint was very similar to the existing-farms case, which was expected given the modest increase in the total effective number of mussels from the extension.

The feasibility of shifting the consent area for marine farm 8049 in Oyster Bay, Queen Charlotte Sound to deeper water was assessed in this report. Sampling of the new site and nearby reef was conducted using a remote-operated camera (ROV) to attain photographs and video transects, as well as an acoustic dropper current profiler (ADCP) to measure currents in the ocean. Mathematical modelling was also incorporated (DEPOMOD modelling). Results showed that depths were suitable for the development of a finfish farm, and the farm would be beyond any significant depositional footprint if established. Although greater production was likely to result in enrichment effects to the benthic communities which may result in a replacement of existing benthic species by opportunistic species.

The Stock Exclusion Low Slope Land 2020 layer identifies areas of "low slope land" as defined in the Resource Management (Stock Exclusion) Regulations 2020. The layer shows the land parcels, or part parcels, defined as low slope land. These areas have a mean slope is less than or equal to 10 degrees. Parcels with a parcel intent of "ROAD" are excluded. Areas of lakes, ponds, settlements and urban parkland, as defined in Land Cover Database 5, are also excluded. Areas of low-slope grassland and annual cropland within high-slope parcels are also included in the Stock Exclusion Low Slope Land extent.

Tidal currents were measured by a month-long deployment of an ADCP seaward of the existing farm in Te Pangu over a neap-spring cycle. Results showed that while water flow was greater close to the mouth of Te Pangu, recirculation and eddies generated by adjacent headlands suggested there would be no significant advantages in moving net pens within the near vicinity once drag from the net pens was considered.

Water column monitoring at the end of Stage 1 for mussel farm MPE921 (Site 8572) in April and May 2011 estimated phytoplankton concentrations from fluorescence and chlorophyll a measurements.

NIWA reviewed an assessment of environmental impacts of salmon farms at Te Pangu Bay, Tory Channel (U090841) and Clay Point, Tory Channel (U060926), prepared by the Cawthron Institute for The New Zealand King Salmon Co Ltd (NZKS), and proposed variations to the Environmental Quality Management System (EQMS) for the farms.

To satisfy resource consent conditions for monitoring at 2 mussel farm sites in Pigeon Bay, Banks Peninsula, Pigeon Bay Aquaculture LTD commissioned NIWA to conduct a survey of the seabed beneath the 2 farm sites.Sampling for this project included a benthic grab, core samples and benthic dredge at sample sites established along 4 transects extending to the north, east, east(middle) and south of the farms. At each site, measurements and observations were performed to characterise key indicators of benthic effects including sediment grain size, sediment organic content, sediment smell and colour, depth of sediment, redox layer, infaunal community composition, epifaunal community composition, and shell drop. Results showed no evidence that the mussel farming activity had caused significant adverse impacts to the benthic habitat or communities beyond and beneath farm boundaries.

NIWA conducted a survey to assess the scallop abundance within Block B in the interim AMA in Golden Bay. A random dredge survey (15 tows) was carried out to quantify relative abundance of scallops within Block B, AMA 1 on 27th March 2014, using two scaled-down commercial scallop dredges. Results showed that the scallop densities in 2014 were similar to previous surveys and did not indicate a substantial recovery of the fishery at the present time.

The New Zealand Fundamental Soil Layer originates from a relational join of features from two databases: the New Zealand Land Resource Inventory (NZLRI), and the National Soils Database (NSD). The NZLRI is a national polygon database of physical land resource information, including a soil unit. Soil is one in an inventory of five physical factors (including rock, slope, erosion, and vegetation) delineated by physiographic polygons at approximately 1:50,000 scale. The NSD is a point database of soil physical, chemical, and mineralological characteristics for over 1500 soil profiles nationally. A relational join between the NZLRI dominant soil and derivative tables from the NSD was the means by which 14 important soil attributes were attached to the NZLRI polygons. Some if these attributes originate from exact matches with NSD records, while others derive from matches to similar soils or professional estimates.The polygon set used in this layer is equivalent to NZLRI Version 3.1, dissolved on soil. Soil attribute data derive from regional soil legends and the NSD as at 1999 Incidental error correction has occurred as necessaryAccuracy of soil attribute values is dependant on the variability of the soil unit over its entire geographic extent and the origin of the estimate (recorded in the _EST fields)Polygons derive from the multi-factor, homogenous unit area mapping of the NZLRI. This method often delineates features at a lower resolution than a single factor map of equivalent scale.While NZLRI mapping scale remained constant (at 1:63,360 and later 1:50,000), polygon resolution increased in detail as the survey progressed, and was variably constrained by the quality of source information available to the mapperhttp://lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/136/ & https://lris.scinfo.org.nz/layer/48137-fsl-south-island-all-attributes/