The Leigh Marine Laboratory is the marine research facility for the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

in New Zealand. The laboratory is situated in north eastern New Zealand, north of Auckland city. The facility is perched on the cliffs overlooking the

Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve Cape Rodney-Okakari Point Marine Reserve is a protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. The reserve covers an area of , extending from Cape Rodney to Okakari Point, extending 800m offshore. Te Hāwere-a-Maki / Goat Island lies within t ...

that covers of coastline from Cape Rodney to Okakari Point.

History

Leigh Marine Laboratory was opened in 1964 in the small coastal community of

Leigh Leigh may refer to: Places In England Pronounced : * Leigh, Greater Manchester, Borough of Wigan ** Leigh (UK Parliament constituency) * Leigh-on-Sea, Essex Pronounced : * Leigh, Dorset * Leigh, Gloucestershire * Leigh, Kent * Leigh, Staf ...

. The first director of the marine laboratory, Bill Ballantine was instrumental in the establishment of the adjacent

Goat Island marine reserve The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

in 1975, the first marine protected area in New Zealand. In 2009 a major redevelopment of the Leigh Marine Laboratory began with new facilities being opened in 2010. The new facilities included a new accommodation and workshop building, a three story research building and an interpretive educational centre for public visitors.

Research

A wide range of research activities are undertaken at the laboratory, including marine

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

, marine fisheries and

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

. The laboratory has nine academic staff on site, with support staff. Further academic staff from the main University of Auckland campus are also frequent users of the laboratory. Postgraduate research is a major feature of the Leigh Laboratory. The laboratory has a fleet of small boats and the 15.9-metre catamaran Te Kaihōpara, launched in 2023. The vessel replaced the aging Hawere and was given to the university by iwi Ngāti Manuhiri, a partner in mussel reef restoration. An important part of research at the Leigh Marine Laboratory is supporting the development of

aquaculture in New Zealand Aquaculture started to take off in New Zealand in the 1980s. It is dominated by mussels, oysters and salmon.FAO:National Aquaculture Sector Overview: New ZealandFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. In 2007, aquaculture ...

. In addition, research is undertaken on

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

, conservation and restoration, whales and dolphins, microplastics, noise pollution, sea birds, seafloor ecology, aquaculture, kelp and kina.

Gallery

File:Leigh Marine Laboratory.jpg, File:Leigh Marine Laboratory 1.jpg, File:Lobsters in cage.jpg, File:Black Footed Paua.jpg,

References

{{authority control Fisheries and aquaculture research institutes Buildings and structures of the University of Auckland 1964 establishments in New Zealand 1960s architecture in New Zealand