Overfishing and sedimentation have reduced the number of natural beds of green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus), in soft sediment habitats, from many regions around New Zealand.

NIWA's research vessel Tangaroa will set sail for the Chatham Rise tonight to improve our understanding of how marine ecosystems affect commercially exploited fish, and how commercial fisheries affect the marine food-web. The Chatham Rise, a large plateau between the South Island and Chatham Islands, is our most productive fishing ground.

The oyster season runs until the end of August this year and so far the news is all good for oyster fishers and oyster lovers.

NIWA marine scientists will use baited-underwater-video (BUV) to assess blue cod stocks in Fiordland this week. It's the first time this unique way of monitoring fish stocks has been used in the fiords.

NIWA studies reveal that different movement and behaviours exist within snapper stock – some snapper stay at home, while some range for hundreds of kilometres. Our studies also show that marine reserves may well be affecting the behaviour of fish that inhabit them.

The return of the upgraded RV Tangaroa represents a huge advancement for New Zealand science and exploration

A feeding frenzy of cusk-eels where nothing was previously thought to live, an entirely new species of deep-sea fish, and large crustacean scavengers, are among the highlights of a recent research expedition that is shedding new light on the ecology of deepest places on Earth.

The scallop season opens today for most of New Zealand, except for Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Northland where the season starts on 1 September, and NIWA scientists are calling for help from scallop fishers to return tagged scallops.

A mysterious fish ‘language’ is being uncovered at a New Zealand marine reserve, leading to startling hypotheses about fish communication. NZ Marine Sciences Society conference on the latest in marine research.