The Tasman Sea is an area of the southern Pacific Ocean between Australia and New Zealand, approximately 2,000 km across and extending 2,800 km from north to south. It has been identified as one of five global ocean warming “hotspots.” Temperatures here have risen by 2ºC over the past 60 years — three times the average rate of warming in the world’s oceans. These waters are home to a huge biodiversity of life, including the endangered black cod and the galapagos sharks. Overfishing and trawling has been a problem threatening many species, and only about 1% of the coastal areas are no-take zones. However, the local government has established marine reserves in the area, signalling a potential start to eventual protection of the sea.
