General Account of the Chatham Islands 1954 Expedition
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ISSN 2538-1016; 2 NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH BULLETIN 122 GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE CHATHAM ISLANDS 1954 EXPEDITION By G. A. KNOX 1957 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ Frontispiece: M.V. Alert :it the Waitangi wharf. l'lwtu: ], M. More/a11tl This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ NEW ZEALAND DEPARTMENT OF SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH BULLETIN 122 GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE CHATHAM ISLANDS 1954 EXPEDITION By G. A. KNOX Biology Department, Canterbury University College, Christchurch � If§ Price: 12s. 6d. 1957 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ CONTENTS Pate INTRODUCTION 7 Objectives of the Expedition .... .. 7 Acknowledgments ...... ..... 7 PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS 8 AREA INVESTIGATED 9 Bottom Topography 9 Geology 9 Hydrology 11 Marine Flora and Fauna 12 ORGANISATION 12 Expedition Members 12 Ship and Scientific Equipment 13 Techniques 13 NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE 14 STATION LIST preceding p. 15 RESULTS 16 Summary of Observations 16 Collections 16 Reports 16 REFERENCES 16, 30 APPENDICES 1 Papers published, or in press, from the Chatham Islands 1954 Expedition ...... 17 2 Hydrology of Chatham Rise, by D. M. Gamer 18 3 Marine Geology of the Chatham Islands Area, by J. W. Brodie . 28 4 Report on the Mollusca, by R. K. Delt 31 5 Report on the Echinoderms, by H. Barraclough Fell ...... 33 6 Report on the Fishes, by J. Moreland 34 INDEX 35 This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ GENERAL ACCOUNT OF THE CHATHAM ISLANDS 1954 EXPEDITION INTRODUCTION Up to 1949 very little oceanographic research Islands. The Chatham Rise is a well defined sea apart from marine biological studies had been floor feature whose crest lies mostly in less than carried out in New Zealand. In that year the 300 fathoms and from which few dredgings had Department of Scientific and Industrial Research been obtained. What little was known of the set up a small unit to work in physical oceano marine fauna of the Chatham Islands indicated graphy, and following the arrival of H.M.N.Z.S. that it was an interesting mixture of northern and Lachlan to commence survey operations in New southern species together with a strong endemic Zealand waters in late 1949 there arose an in element. creasing interest in oceanographic problems. This The expedition's work was planned to throw increase in oceanographic research was stimulated some light on the distribution of benthic and by the offer of the Commanding Officer of the pelagic animals between the New Zealand coast Lachlan, Commander J. M. Sharpey-Shafer, R.N., and the Chatham Islands and to trace the transi to undertake the collection of scientific data and tion from a typical "southern" fauna to the mixed material for New Zealand workers. At first an faunas of the Islands. interdepartmental committee in Wellington The following programme was defined when arranged for the distribution of the material ob application for a grant-in-aid was made: tained by the Lachlan, but in October 1950 a more 1. To occupy a series of stations between Banks widely representative National Committee on Peninsula and the Chatham Islands to obtain Oceanography was set up under the auspices of the dredgings of bottom fauna, sediment samples, Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. plankton tows, temperatures, and water One of the functions of this committee was to co samples. ordinate, correlate, and assist oceanographic work 2. To spend about fourteen days dredging and in New Zealand, and to sponsor the publication of bottom sampling the shelf round the islands. results. 3. To obtain continuous echo soundings on the The present expedition arose directly from the route followed. stimulus given to oceanographic research in New 4. To investigate the intertidal region of the Zealand by this committee. In October 1951 the Chatham Islands and collect intertidal plants committee de.fined several research areas to which and animals. priority should be given as facilities and finance 5. To observe the sea birds of the Chatham became available. One of these was the Chatham Islands. Rise between Banks Peninsula and the Chatham It was later decided to make general inverte Islands. In November 1953 a grant of £800 to brate land collections, particularly on the outlying wards the cost of an oceanographic expedition to islands, as these had not previously been visited this area was received from the Department of by a scientific party. Scientific and Industrial Research through the New Zealand National Committee on Oceano graphy. Acknowledgments Objectives of the Expedition As the leader of the expedition the author thanks all members of the expedition for their hard and The expedition's main objectives were to explore enthusiastic work, often under trying conditions. the area of the Chatham Rise and the Chatham Special thanks are due to Mr A. J. Black, the This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ 8 owner and master of M.V. Alert, who did not Shipping Co.) generously provided much-needed spare himself to ensure the success of the expedi fresh water on two occasions. tion. The satisfactory results obtained were largely due to his skill in handling the boat and equip PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS ment, and his trawling experience was invaluable in the deep-sea work. Apart from the efforts of the individual collectors The expedition is greatly indebted to the Coun mentioned below, there has been little in the way of cil of Scientific and Industrial Research, through organised marine research in the area covered the New Zealand National Committee on Oceano by the expedition. The graphy, for the financial support afforded, and first recorded investigator was Ernst Dief also to Canterbury University College, Canterbury fenbach ( 18-1-3), who visited the Chatham Islands Museum, the Dominion Museum, and the Can and made collections in 1840. In 1868 H. L. terbury and Southland branches of the Royal Travers, during a short stay at the Chatham Society of New Zealand for additional financial Islands, collected plants and animals, particularly assistance. Thanks are also extended to the many Mollusca. The most comprehensive of the early institutions that lent equipment, to the Director, collections was made by Dr Schauinsland who Canterbury Museum, for providing facilities for visited New Zealand and the Chatham Islands the handling and storage of the collections and to in 1896-97, partly for the purpose of collecting the Director, Dominion Laboratory, for salinity specimens for the museums of Bremen and Berlin. determinations. Material collected by Schauinsland at the Chat hams is listed in many of the early accounts of Reversing water bottles and thermometers were the New Zealand fauna. Other early collectors lent by the Fisheries Division, C.S.I.R.O., Cro mentioned in the literature include A. Shand and nulla, Australia; without this equipment hydro Miss S. D. Shand of the Chatham Islands, Pro logical work in deep water would not have been fessor H. B. Kirk, and Dr A. Dendy. possible. The New Zealand Government Trawling Ex Valued assistance was received on many occa pedition in the Nora Niven visited the Chatham sions from the people of the 9hatham Islands. In Islands in 1907 (Waite, 1909). During their stay particular the Commissioner, Mr J. Patterson, was at the islands several stations were worked in very helpful, arranging transport to Titirangi to depths from 16 to 50 fathoms, but the· greater part collect fossils, and a boat to trawl on Te Whanga of the time was spent in line fishing. The Nora Lagoon. The master of the Port Waikato (Holm Niven stations are listed below. Depth in No. Position Fathoms Bottom 64 2 miles north-west of Waitangi 16-24 sand, shell 65 3 miles south-east of Port Hutt 24-33 yellow sand 66 5 miles west of Clatchie Point 33--42 fine yellow sand 67 5 miles north-west of Durham Point 42-50 yellow sand 68 3½ miles north-west of Soames Point 45 coarse shell sand 69 Hanson Bay 16-25 sand, shell 70 Hanson Bay, 8 miles north-east of Cape Fournier 33--45 fine sand. At all the above stations a commercial fishing Young made general collections of marine fauna, trawl only was used and no dredging was carried especially fishes, on th6 western and northern out. coasts of Chatham Island. In the summer of 1924 a scientific party spon In November 1936 the N.Z.G.S. Matai investi sored by the Otago Institute visited Chatham gated the Mernoo Bank, the position of which had Island and Pitt Island. The members of the party, been roughly reported by S.S. Mernoo in June R. S. Allan, W. Martin, J. Marwick, and M. W. 1935. In the course of sounding operations three Young, were concerned· primarily with the struc bottom samples in 43, 52, and 57 fathoms were tural geology of the Chathams and the collection obtained. of fossils. Recent Mollusca were also collected and A. W. B. Powell spent three weeks at Chatham This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.