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Make it happen...
An ecosystem restoration involves the entire system.. above as well as below the water.
We noticed rubbish on the seafloor in bays we anchor and play around and have been picking up bits and pieces where we could... we know about the ongoing battle to eradicate Undaria which is threatening Fiordlands marine ecosystem and know there are other biosecurity threats on their way... so we keep a clean vessel pass, avoid effected areas and clean client gear... we've noticed a decline in the fishery and are only catching for the table whilst advocating for full utilisation...
However we feel that that is no longer enough and decided to start an annual TamateaBLUE project.. focusing on underwater cleanups, as well as raise awareness and action around biosecurity and the need to think about sustainable fisheries even in such a seemingly abundant and wild place as Fiordland.
We run regular TamateaBLUE adventures to help clean up some of the historic rubbish from the well used common anchorages around Fiordland and of course pick up what we come across as part of everyday life within the place we call home.
The pilot adventure was run in November 2019 in conjunction with GhostDiving NZ and with the support of the Fiordland Marine Guardians, LegaSEA as well as wonderful volunteers. We removed around 2t of rubbish from just one little bay in Tamatea Dusky Sound in only two days.
Now the TamateaBLUE Adventure is an annual event to look after everything beneath the surface of Fiordland waters.
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You can Make a difference and become a MAD VOLUNTEER.
Join us onboard Flightless to help us restore Tamatea and with that one of the 'last frontiers'. We have space for 4 volunteers at $2000pp to cover helicopter transfers, fuel and food for the four days onboard. Get in touch to find out how to make it happen.
Apply to volunteer
We wouldn't be able to do what we do without countless wonderful individuals, clients, friends and businesses being there to chip in.
GhostDiving
A wonderful crew which is part of every underwater clean up to share passion and knowledge!
Kiwi Skips
Gifting skips and rubbish removal on land for the fadges and fadges of rubbish we remove.
South Seas Spearo
Supporting the diving work and promoting divers looking after the waters they play in.
Protecting our special marine environments by preventing the introduction or spread of invasive species.
Knowing what is native and what doesn't belong, cleaning your gear and notifying authorities when you come across anything that doesn't belong.
New Zealand has seen the introduction of hundreds of non-native species, but not all of them pose a threat. The majority arrived through biofouling or ballast water from large vessels. It's our responsibility to learn about the marine pests that we are battling to eradicate and find out how you can help.
Find out more about marine pests
Only one marine pest is known to be present in Fiordland, the invasive Asian seaweed, Undaria.
One of the biggest risks to this area is the impact of marine pests, such as Undaria or Mediterranean Fanworm, establishing. The Fiordland Marine Regional Pathway Management Plan is the first of its kind in New Zealand and is a huge step towards protecting and securing the future of this precious area.
The Plan aims to greatly reduce the risk of marine pests being carried in on local and visiting vessels.It has been developed and will be implemented by a partnership group including Environment Southland, Fiordland Marine Guardians (www.fmg.org.nz), Ministry for Primary Industries (www.mpi.govt.nz), Department of Conservation (www.doc.govt.nz), and Ngai Tahu.
If you see Undaria or any other marine pest in Fiordland, report it via Biosecurity New Zealand’s pest and disease hotline: 0800 80 99 66.
Clean gear
Clean your gear between dive, fishing and boating sites and especially prior to exploring Fiordland.
Find out how
Undaria
You can find more information around Undaria and exemption areas on the Environment Southland website.
Learn more
Clean vessel pass
Ensure your hull is clean and reduce the risk of further introductions prior to entering Fiordland. Apply for a clean vessel pass.
Apply
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We ran a collaboration with MPI to prove using diver operated suction dredges would be a viable tool for removal of undaria in the Fiordland Marine area and beyond.
It was a big job with soooooo many wonderful and passionate people involved. Sean and myself got to draw on what felt like past life skills from our commercial dive background and are proud to have proven a tool that we intuitively knew on paper for anyone to use.
So enjoy a little light reading and get in touch with any questions. It's all open source to share!
Pilot-Trial-for-Undaria-Report.pdf
Only gather what you can eat, treating it respectfully, processing it wholly, cooking it deliciously and indulging in it fully.
Knowing seafood doesn't belong in the freezer, not seeing catch limits as a target, voluntarily dropping limits, broadening horizons on what is eatable and believing in full utilisation for everything gathered.
We believe it's a privilege to be able to gather food for the table and simply try to do our part for that privilege to still be there for all of our grandchildren instead of creating another 'back in my day - story'.
This is why sharing our passion for seafood, the respect for anything gathered and expanding our understanding of what sustainable means is truely important to us.
Anything gathered onboard is fully utilised to honour the individual. If a fish is caught the only thing going over the side are the guts and the gills.. everything else ends up on the table at some stage..
It's one thing to use every part of the fish, it's another to also create artwork and memory of the very individual your honouring. Tim Li is a good friend of ours and a seriously talented artists. He uses Gyotaku printing to create wonderful pieces of art while also supporting TamateaART. AAAAAAND following the process you can still enjoy every single part of the fish.
TamateaART
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As charter operators we've noticed a change in the fishery over the past ten years which was brought to the attention of the Fiordland Marine Guardians (FMG). FMG promptly facilitated a workshop for all charter operators to paint a picture of concerns and challenges. From this sprung the thought of a voluntary code of conduct to model behaviour and support changes in fisher rules.
Most charter operators are signatories to the VOLUNTARY CODE OF CONDUCT below and FMG have also worked with recreational fishers to then take it to MPI to bring about legal change.
We believe that the limits below are still far above what anybody needs but it is about bringing everyone along the journey of what sustainable means. Any change in the right direction is far better that the status quo.
This has now been turned into legislation and we're working with other operators to revise the code of conduct accordingly.
While we still have a long way to go we're proud to be not only thinking but acting with future generations in our minds.
