Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine Reserve
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| Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine Reserve | |
|---|---|
 Secretary Island | |
  | |
| Location | Fiordland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 45°17′49″S 166°56′56″E / 45.297°S 166.949°E |
| Area | 93 hectares (230 acres) |
| Established | 1993 |
| Governing body | Department of Conservation |
Te Awaatu Channel (The Gut) Marine Reserve is a marine reserve covering an area of 93 hectares (230 acres) in Fiordland on New Zealand's South Island. It was established in 1993 and is administered by the Department of Conservation.[1][2]
It is the smallest marine reserve in Fiordland and one of the oldest.[1]
The marine reserve covers a shallow channel between Bauza Island and Secretary Island with a high tidal flow. Surrounding the reserve is Fiordland's deepest basin, reaching depths of about 420 metres (1,380 ft).[1]
The reserve has significant rock wall and deep reef habitats, which provide a habitat for suspension feeders like sea pen, red coral, black coral, zoanthids and lampshells.[1]
History
Te Awaatu or Te Awa-O-Tu translates as "the channel of Tu". According to Māori oral history, ancestor Tu-Te-Raki-whanoa carved out the fiords and lakes with his giant ko (digging stick), with one foot on Ka-Tu-Waewae-O-Tu (Secretary Island) at the entrance to Doubtful Sound and the other foot on Mauikatau (Resolution Island) at the entrance to Tamatea / Dusky Sound.[1]
The reserve was recommended by the New Zealand Federation of Commercial Fishermen, alongside the Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) Marine Reserve in the early 1990s.[3] It was established in 1993,[2] receiving legal recognition on 25 October of that year.[4]
Rock lobsters within the reserve are larger and more numerous than outside it, and five year study of red coral has found no major changes to the population.[1]
Research and commerce
Educational and scientific activities are encouraged, but must not disturb or endanger plants, animals or natural features. Scientific research requires a permit from the Department of Conservation.[5]