Lord Howe Island Marine Park
The Lord Howe Iceland Marine Park, located 700 km north-east of Sydney and surrounds the Lord Howe Island Group and Ball's Pyramid. The largest protected ocean area of New South Wales consists of two state waters, the Lord Howe Iceland Marine Park ( State Water ) with 3000.63 km ² and Lord Howe Iceland Marine Park ( Commonwealth ) with 465.45 km ². The parks are part of the UNESCO World Heritage.
Geography
The islands in the marine reserve are the peaks of a 1000 km long undersea mountains that rise from a 1,800 -meter-deep plateau above the water and emerged as a result of volcanic activity in the Late Miocene.
The reserve, which manages New South Wales, the Islands comprises three nautical miles of the ocean, which are followed by the sheltered waters of the Commonwealth up to a distance of 200 nautical miles.
History
It is believed that the Lord Howe Island group was first sighted by British colonists on the HMS Supply, as they sailed from Sydney to Norfolk Iceland. The first landing on this island came two months later on the return trip.
In the 1830s residents populated the Lord Howe Island, who lived from hunting, fishing and fruit growing there and traded with the whalers trade. Through the influence of the marine environment, the traditions and lifestyle of the islanders were determined, which is found in architectural style of their homes and gardens up to the present day.
In the sea area there are numerous historic shipwrecks.
Ecology
The hot and cold water, which blend together and created an unusual mixture of tropical and subtropical flora and fauna, which is characterized by a high proportion of endemic forms. Because of the distance to civilization the ecological environment has remained relatively unaffected.
The extraordinary flora and fauna formed one of the richest and most southerly coral reef systems in the world:
There is in this area 235 species of algae, of the 12 are endemic; live from the 500 fish species on the islands 400 and 15 of which are endemic; 83 coral species, 65 of which are echinoderms, 70 % tropical, temperate 24% and 6 % are endemic. Some species that live around the mountain peaks in the deep waters are said to be relics of the Mesozoic ( 225-65 million years ago ). Studies have shown that it is an isolated sea area, because most species do not change between mountain peaks and this led to highly specialized species in this deep sea.
Spread the black grouper is ( Epinephelus damelii, English, Black Cod. ), Who was once so common on the coast of New South Wales; it is protected today. Furthermore find there the Marlin (blue and striped), sharks ( Galapagos, whale, tiger, mako and white shark ), sailfish, dolphinfish, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, jacks (English Trevallies ), Pacific bonito ( Sarda chiliensis ), Seriola lalandi ( Yellow- tail Kingfish, family Carangidae ) and Lethrinus nebulosus ( Spangled Emperor, family Grosskopf snappers).
The Lord Howe Island Group breed 14 species of seabirds such as boobies, gray or Blaunoddi (german Grey Ternlet ), Sooty Tern, Fairy Tern, Noddi ( Anous stolidus ) Weißkappennoddi ( Anous minutus), Red-tailed Tropicbird, Little Shearwater, Blassfuß shearwater ( Puffinus carneipes ), Blackwing 's Petrel ( Pterodroma nigripennis ), wedge-tailed shearwater ( Puffinus pacificus ), white-bellied sea runner ( Fregetta Grallaria ) Solandersturmvogel ( Pterodroma solandri ), Kermadec Petrel (on Balls Pyramid is the only Australian hatchery is this petrel ).
Bluefish
Tern
Red-tailed Tropic Bird