Marine Studies

What a year for Whakatāne High School Marine Studies! The junior school had a mean year. They spent time learning about the ecosystems around our amazing local treasure, Moutohora, and even got to spend some time snorkeling out at the island with some friendly, underwater marine life. They even learnt about tuna and some of the traditional Māori eeling methods used by the older generations, and put these learnings into practice on an eeling trip to Awatapu Lagoon and Sullivan’s Lake. Throughout the yea, our Year 9s have been focusing on learning all about our common New Zealand fish species and how to make fish traces to make their very own hand lines. A highlight of every term was taking our Year 9s out to the Ōhope Wharf to test these handlines and catch a few little fish along the way. 2021 has been a busy year for our senior students. We have focused on a range of topics from rocky shore ecosystem studies, to the deep ocean, to sustainable fishing practices - all of which help us learn about how we can use the oceans responsibly. We have studied papaka (crabs) and how they move and behave when they are under stress. An important concept that we have looked at throughout the year is how we can use marine reserves to help us protect the ecosystems around Moutohora and what this could mean for the future of our community. Although we weren’t able to go on our Heron Island trip this year, we were still able to see some incredible underwater marine life on our dive trips to Whitianga. This year, twenty students have been lucky enough to gain their PADI Open Water Diving Certificate while diving in some of Aotearoa’s most pristine and protected parts of the ocean, Hahei Marine Reserve. The three-day trip is jam-packed with activities centralised around the beautiful scenery that is both in and out of the water; including diving with some big, friendly fish, and even a bit of dolphin spotting. Alex Manning and Whaea Te Aorere