FISHERIES & THEIR ECOSYSTEMS Incredible marine habitats and
ecosystems New Zealand’s 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic
Zone (EEZ) covers around 4.4 million km2, and is the fourth
largest in the world. Within this lies a rich and complex
seascape with a huge variety of marine habitats and life forms.
There are undersea plateaus and mountain ranges, volcanoes,
coastal estuaries and the 10,000-metre deep Kermadec Trench –
the second deepest point on Earth. Over 15,000 marine species
have already been found living in these seas. And scientists
think that another 50,000 may yet be found here. This could
represent about 10 percent of the world’s known marine species.
Also, our isolation in the south-west Pacific means that there
are many species unique to New Zealand. Many migratory species
also visit our waters. In fact, some marine mammal and seabird
species depend on New Zealand breeding areas and feeding grounds
for their existence. Oceans and productivity New Zealand’s ocean
productivity results from a comb