Damage to the Sea Floor

As stated in our article on Aquaculture, there is an urgent need to have scientific research carried out on the effects of mussel farming in the Marlborough Sounds, before any further licenses are granted. In the absence of this research it is left to lay-persons to do the best they can to assess the situation…

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Integrated Sounds Management

Aside from being one of our most unique and special places, the Marlborough Sounds are also one of the most complex areas in New Zealand to manage. The blend of land and sea, the competing interests of residents, business and boaties, and the low permanent population all make the area a challenge for any agency…

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Log Transportation – Port Underwood to Shakespeare Bay

Forestry History Pinus Radiata began to be planted extensively in the Port Underwood area in the 1970s. After the Northbank plantations it forms the next most extensive area in Marlborough. From the present annual extraction rate of mature timber of approximately 50,000 tonnes/year harvesting is to increase to a peak of 220,000 tonnes in 2007.…

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History of Fish Stocks in Queen Charlotte Sounds

When Captain Cook visited the Sounds in 1770, he estimated the Maori Population at no more than 200 souls. Because he never explored the inner Sounds, he had no knowledge of populated areas like the large catchments of Waikawa, Waitohi (Picton ), Ngakuta, Anakiwa and Tory Channel. Based on the archaeological sites that we have…

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Fast Ferry Debacle in the Queen Charlotte Sounds

In the early 1960’s the Inter-Island Ferry ‘Tamahine’, which travelled at a speed of 14 knots through the Sounds, was replaced by the new generation roll-on, roll-off ferry, the ‘Aramoana’. The ‘Aramoana’ had a service speed of 17 knots. In a very short time our residents started to notice the fine sand being stripped off…

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