Length–weight relationships are a fundamental tool for assessing populations and communities in fisheries science. Many researchers have collected length–weight data throughout New Zealand, yet parameters describing these relationships remain unpublished for many species of freshwater fish. We compiled 285,124 fish records from researchers and institutions across New Zealand to parameterise length–weight equations, using both...

Patagonian fjord ecosystems might experience new scenarios due to climate variability (decreasing annual precipitation and glacier melting) in the short term. Herein, we studied the seasonal variability of the Puelo River regime (North Patagonia, 1944–2007, mean streamflow: 650 m 3 /s) and analyses its influence on surface salinity, temperature and dissolved oxygen in the well‐stratified Reloncaví Fjord (41.5°S). Our results s...

The bioavailability of catchment‐derived particulate phosphorus (PP) to lentic phytoplankton was investigated. Two stream inflows to Lake Rotorua (Bay of Plenty, New Zealand) were sampled during moderate (March) and large (August) discharge peaks in 2012. Phosphorus (P) fractions in samples were quantified and a bioassay was undertaken using samples from the March event to determine whether P‐limited phytoplankton could utilis...

Accurate fecundity information is essential for the sustainable management of exploited populations. Mounting evidence of strong size and age effects on female fecundity and egg characteristics indicates that, for spatially‐structured populations, management models should incorporate demographic information. Parapercis colias , a commercially important temperate reef fish, appears to form spatially structured populations at th...

The diatom genus Pseudo‐nitzschia blooms throughout New Zealand's coastal waters. More than a decade of monitoring data were analysed in this study and seasonality was a significant factor in the appearance of Pseudo‐nitzschia blooms. Austral spring and summer were the main bloom periods, although there were regional differences. Between January 2000 and August 2011, 8.4% of 29,000 seawater samples analysed for Pseudo‐nitzschi...

Calanoid copepods of the genus Boeckella and Parabroteas ( P. sarsi ) are dominant in zooplankton communities of Patagonian lakes and ponds. This study addresses the occurrence of sexual size dimorphism in calanoid copepods of the genus Boeckella and in the monospecific genus Parabroteas occurring in 12 lakes and ponds of Patagonia (Argentina). The morphometric analysis performed showed that in all the species studied the fema...

Sydney rock oysters ( Saccostrea glomerata ) were historically abundant throughout the intertidal and subtidal zones of the Pumicestone Passage. However, today subtidal oyster reefs are extinct, and loss of around 96% of the vertical zonation suitable for oyster habitation has occurred. European land use practices caused large increases in sediment flux into inshore regions by 1870. This may explain why subtidal oyster reefs d...

A range of options for the storage and partial processing of water samples before polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis were evaluated. In addition, temporal storage of extracted DNA at 4 °C was investigated. Filtering the water sample and then storing that filter at −20 °C for up to six months before DNA extraction was equivalent to extracting DNA immediately. Freezing a water sample resulted in an immediate 1 log loss of...

Lugworms are important members of the macrobenthos of sheltered intertidal sediments, and this study assessed the abundance and distribution of Abarenicola affinis in Otago, southern New Zealand. Using a faecal cast:lugworm ratio (1.00:1.09) revealed a patchy distribution across inlets, with an overall mean abundance of 11.1 individuals/m 2 (range: 3.8 to 21.3 individuals/m 2 ). Distribution patterns varied among inlets, with...

Cetacean‐oriented tourism has experienced rapid growth in the last two decades, accompanied by increasing concerns about the effects of tourism on target species. Here, we used shore‐based observations of dusky dolphin ( Lagenorhynchus obscurus ) groups near Kaikoura, New Zealand, and generalised additive models to quantify changes in group speed, reorientation and linearity relative to natural and anthropogenic factors. Summe...