University of Otago Researchers Provide Video Confirmation of Feb 2019 White Pointer Occurrence in Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island, New Zealand

12 February 2019; approximately 13:00
Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island, New Zealand
(lat -46.9226, long 68.1134 - see marker) just NW of Ulva Island.

Michael Heldsinger and Rosa Edwards (MSc Students with Prof Will Rayment, Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ) [see their Sevengill Shark Research Summaries at bottom of this page]

"We found two White Sharks in Rakiura/Stewart Island on a Sevengill Shark sampling trip in February 2019.  One was recorded on one of our baited remote underwater video units. The White Shark just bumps the pole then swims away.  It did come back several minutes later but we could only see one of its pectoral fins. The black and white pole is one metre long and calibrated on two cameras.  Based on previous work with White Sharks in South Africa our colleague Rob Lewis (also MSc student studying Sevengills) we estimate it to be approximately 3.25 metres total length. We think we saw another White Pointer ~2-3 metres long on the surface at the entrance of Paterson Inlet several days later, but we didn't get close enough to confirm.  In April 2019 there was another sighting of a 4 metre White Pointer from a tour operator in the inlet near Prices Point. After three years of sampling using underwater videos, this great white sighting is a single and rare case for us."

Crawford's Note: Michael and Rosa's video is highly relevant to the White Pointer Chronicles Research Project for a few different reasons:

1. Estimated length indicates juvenile (not sexually mature) individual at Rakiura/Stewart Island; most juvenile observations have previously been report in North Island; 

2. Absence of anything in the Science primary literature or DOC/NIWA/MPI technical reports regarding occurrence of White Pointers (any size) in Paterson Inlet; and

3. Important reports from Indigenous/Local Expert Knowledge Holders (especially upcoming release of interviews with Stewart Islanders) in White Pointer Chronicles Research Project of occurrence and behaviour of White Pointers in Paterson Inlet.

University of Otago Research Summary (Will Rayment Lab, Department of Marine Science)

Michael Heldsinger and Rosa Edwards are Marine Science Masters students at the University of Otago, researching the broadnose sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianus, in southern New Zealand. Two previous MSc students Jordan Housiaux and Robert Lewis developed baseline research on this species in New Zealand beginning in 2013.  Michael and Rosa aim to expand on the current ecological knowledge of this species. 

Michael’s research focuses on whether Marine Reserves (MRs) provide benefits for sevengill sharks and other mesopredators, such as the spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), in southern New Zealand. Six MRs are being investigated, five located within Ata Whenua/Fiordland and one in Rakiura/Stewart Island. The relative abundance and distribution of sharks will be assessed inside the MRs compared to areas of similar habitat exposed to fishing pressure. He is also comparing a novel technique: environmental DNA, for detecting shark species in Fiordland. His overarching goal is to provide important insights into the broader ecological effects of MRs in New Zealand, beyond benthic values.  

Rosa is investigating habitat selection by sevengill sharks by comparing their relative abundance to a suite of explanatory environmental variables across Te Whaka ā Te Wera/Paterson Inlet, Rakiura/Stewart Island.  Her research is also investigating the foraging ecology of sevengill sharks using stable isotope analysis (SIA) through samples sourced from bycaught specimens in southern NZ.  

Both studies use baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) to determine the relative abundance of sharks and mesopredators.  Sharks are attracted to BRUVs that sit on or near the seafloor rather than being lured to the surface.  These methods are considered a non-invasive means of estimating biodiversity measures of fish and shark assemblages worldwide.  The findings of these Masters projects will be useful for further understanding the ecology of sevengill sharks, predicting their distributions elsewhere in NZ and worldwide, and will hopefully aid future developments in management and conservation strategies for this species.

Webpage Updated 16 April 2020