Ulva Island-Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve: Marine reserve report card

This report card assesses the health of the marine reserve according to a range of selected measures. The status and trend over five years are reported for each measure.

Ulva Island-Te Wharawhara Marine Reserve is made up of three separate areas off Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara in Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera on the eastern side of Stewart Island/Rakiura. The marine reserve was established in 2004. No commercial fishing has been permitted in the inlet since 1994.

The isolation of Paterson Inlet and its forest catchment help keep these cold waters clear and unpolluted. Ulva Island itself is a pest-free open sanctuary, with native vegetation growing all the way to the beach. Extending from the shore, this marine reserve protects unique and diverse undersea habitats in conditions that are thought to be close to those of pre-human times.