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IN THE MATTER OF the Resource Management Act 1991 AND IN THE MATTER OF a Board of Inquiry appointed under section 149J of the Resource Management Act 1991 to consider The New Zealand King Salmon Co. Limited's private plan change requests to the Marlborough Sounds Resource Management Plan and resource consent applications for marine farming at nine sites located in the Marlborough Sounds. STATEMENT OF EVIDENCE OF ROB SCHUCKARD AUGUST 2012 – 2 – Contents: 1. Executive Summary 2. Background 3. Scope 4. Status of ecosystem information from Coastal Marine Environment. 5. Eutrofication, a worldwide concern and threat to coastal habitats. 6. Salmon farming and eutrofication 7. Human Population Equivalent. 8. Seabirds in the Marlborough Sounds. Impact of eutrophication on marine ecosystem of the Marlborough Sounds, a particular focus on New Zealand King Shags. 1. Executive Summary 1.1. New Zealand‘s marine habitats, the communities of marine life within them, the processes that drive marine ecosystems, the full extent of threats to marine biodiversity from human activities and broader environmental changes have not yet been identified and/or classified. 1.2. The past few decades have seen a significant global increase in coastal eutrophication, leading to widespread hypoxia and anoxia, habitat degradation, alteration of food-web structure, loss of biodiversity, and increased frequency, spatial extent, and duration of harmful algal blooms. 1.3. Nitrogen and phosphorus loading into marine waters can initiate a biological process of eutrophication that, depending on the volume and duration of nutrient loading and the assimilative capacity of the receiving waters, can culminate in a fundamental shift in the food web structure of an area and lead to ecological simplification, disrupting normal ecosystem functioning. It finally can result in a shift of phytoplankton species composition and create conditions that are favourable to nuisance and toxic algal blooms. 1.4. High and very high HAB risk in the form of shellfish and fish toxicity occurs near all the salmon farms, in particular during the summer months. However, similar HAB were also identified at the control sites. It is suggested that nutrient waste from existing farms are not of notable environmental significance at current levels of salmon production. – 3 – 1.5. To challenge of eutrophication and related harmful algal blooms, an integrated management framework is needed for effective nutrient management. Both changes in climate forcing and nutrient loadings are aspects of a global transformation that is expected to profoundly impact coastal hypoxia through more stratified water conditions. 1.6. Algal blooms that occur as a result of high nutrients in marine waters will reduce water clarity (and consequently sunlight availably to other organisms in the water column and benthic communities), resulting in oxygen deficit of the water column when the organisms die, sink and decompose. 1.7. Adaptive management and guidelines are being integrated in the conditions for resource consents of existing salmon farms. However, they only accommodate the industrial goal to maintain a healthy environment for the fish farm. 1.8. Intensive aquaculture has generated environmental impacts like deteriorated spawning grounds of commercially valuable fish and shellfish. The ‗‗unprized‘‘ or ‗‗hidden‘‘ support from coastal and marine ecosystems to intensively cultured species is quite substantial. The presumption to locate farms in more exposed locations to reduce the environmental impact of organic enrichment by spreading the effects may be unfounded. 1.9. Positive reinforcing feedbacks of biogeochemistry and homeostasis shift ecosystems to new stable states; such shifts can be gradual or abrupt and communities may not return to their original state once the disturbance (in this case, altered nutrient loads) is removed. The catastrophic shift cannot be reversed by a correspondingly small reversal of the parameter variable; i.e. the trajectory of recovery is very different from the pathway of decline. 1.10. About 71 % of all nitrogen in the salmon feed is released as waste in the environment. Where the deposition modelling is important, it resembles a small part of the overall waste production. At least 80% of the total losses from fish farming are plankton available nutrients. In undisturbed temperate marine ecosystems, nutrients are abundant during winter and early spring and are gradually depleted in the surface waters during the warm season, whereas in marine culture-impacted ecosystems most of the nutrient enrichment in the water column occurs during the warm period, i.e. summer and early autumn. The proportion of diatoms in the – 4 – plankton communities will decrease after eutrophication where Harmful Algal Blooms increased dramatically. 1.11. HABs can be initiated in offshore waters (an upwelling source) and carried inshore, where anthropogenic nutrient sources affect their dynamics, through increasing magnitude, prolonging duration, number of toxins and toxic species identified, in numbers of fisheries affected, and in economic costs. 1.12. About 30.000 tonnes of salmon produces the nitrogen waste equivalent of what is produced by 420.000 people (about 3x the people living in Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman Region together ) 1.13. The average total population of King Shags estimated to be 645 birds. The species is ―VULNERABLE‖, where this ―species is facing a high risk of extinction in the wild in the medium-term future. Duffers Reef on of the most affected colonies, is also one of the biggest colonies with the highest recruitment. Birds go on average not further than 18km away from the colony with most feeding between 6 and 8 km. 1.14. King Shag is a poor flyer requiring wind assistance on return trips to the colony in particular during chick raising. It is a deep diving species of between 20-50m and dependant on clear water to maintain minimal light conditions for prey pursuit. Increase of phytoplankton biomass may impact on the light penetration to the deeper water layers and benthic communities, potentially decreasing the area suitable for King Shags to hunt. 1.15. King Shag is dependent on deep benthic prey, in particular witch flounder. This species is most common in deeper water with grained sediment. Shags in general require a high density of prey species. Small declines can already have a severe impact on the viability of the species. 1.16. In Waitata Reach the applications are all in the zone where most King Shags are feeding. Also in the Queen Charlotte, there is overlap between King Shag feeding habitat and salmon farms. 1.17. In Waitata reach, the total amount of feed-use that is proposed, consented or under appeal is the equivalent amount of nitrogen waste from about 150.000 people. Impact of toxic algae on seabirds reveal an array of responses ranging from reduced feeding activity, inability to lay eggs, and loss of motor coordination and death (Shumway et al. 2003). Bird deaths caused by HABs – 5 – have been widely reported (in Lewitus et al. 2012). Some of the dinoflagellate produced foam destroys the waterproof layer of feathers that keeps seabirds dry, restricting flight and leading to hypothermia. 2. Background 2.1. My name is Rob Schuckard. I immigrated with my family to New Zealand in 1989. I hold a Masters Degree in Biology (University of Amsterdam), with ornithology as my main subject. In the Netherlands I worked for the Department of Conservation. I had my own consultancy for ecological studies and surveys. I operated for six years an experimental dairy farm as a model to test profitability and environmentally sound management. 2.2. In New Zealand we live in the Marlborough Sounds where I operated between 1989 and 2000 two marine farms in the Pelorus Sound. We have integrated conservation and commercial aspirations for managing our land. About 25% of our land is planted with commercial forest (pine and macrocarpa trees) and 75% is in conservation management. Since 1999, we grow annually many thousands of natives, to be planted throughout our property as a part of our restoration work. We carry out active plants and mammalians pest-control. In 2005, our property received the Marlborough Rural Environment Award for Forestry and the Supreme Award for the work we have been carrying out on our property. 2.3. In New Zealand I have dedicated considerable amounts of time to ornithological surveys and studies. Most of my studies have been carried out as projects of the Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Main study projects: Census coordinator for shorebird surveys in Top of South Island since 1995. Team leader for catching and marking programmes of shorebirds in South Island since 2000. Coordinator of Gannet study at Farewell Spit since 1995. Long term studies and monitoring of New Zealand King Shag. 2.4. I have authored or co-authored a number of publications on the above subjects. – 6 – 2.5. I have been involved and still participate in a range of community and/or conservation projects: Secretary Marine Reserve Committee of French Pass Residents Incorporated – 1993- 1998. Member of the Marlborough Conservation Board in 1997 and 1998. Environmental officer of French Pass Residents Incorporated – since 1997. Committee member for Friends of Nelson Haven and Tasman Bay – 1998-2002 and since 2011. Member of the Sounds Advisory Group – since 2010 Scientific advisor of Sustain our Sounds Inc. - since 2012 2.6. I have read and agree to abide by the code of expert witnesses as set out in the Environment Court‘s Practice Note 2011. 3. Scope of Evidence 3.1. I have been asked by Sustain our Sounds Inc. (―SOS‖) to provide an assessment of the impact of the New Zealand King Salmon Application on the ecosystem integrity of the Marlborough Sounds. 3.2. A literature review of eutrofication of coastal marine environments and the relation with harmful algal blooms is addressed. 3.3. I will compare the environmental impact of the proposed farm expansion on the habitat of New Zealand King Shag (Phalacrocorax carunculatus).

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