WHITE ISLAND.

Forest and Bird, Issue 11, 1 October 1926, Page 11

WHITE ISLAND.

White Island, situated in the Bay of Plenty, is known throughout New Zealand on account of the various thermal wonoders with which it is endowed. It is not so well known, however, that it is one of the homes of that splendid sea-bird, the Gannet. Common enough in the North Island, but decreasing in numbers as we go southward, the gannet is familiar to most travellers on our coastal steamers. In calm weather its aerial evolutions and spectacular diving help to provide entertainment of an unusual kind, thereby adding much to the pleasure of a sea voyage.

Despite the arid appearance and poisonous atmosphere of White Island, it has been the nesting place of gannets for countless generations. As is well known, the island contains large deposits of sulphur, which have considerable commercial value. At the present time a company is engaged in exploiting these deposits, and in view of the fact that the presence of man on the island might interfere with the nesting habits of the birds, the Native Bird Protection Society wrote to the Internal Affairs Department with regard to the actual position.

The Department’s reply was most gratifying, and it will please our readers to know that great interest in the welfare

of the birds is being shown, both by the Department, who went to much trouble in making enquiries, and by the company concerned, who have issued instructions that the bird life on the island is not to be interfered with in any way. In past years mutton birds and gannets’ eggs have been taken in large numbers at the island by Maoris, but, thanks to the company, this practice has now been forbidden.

Let us hope that this is the dawn of a better day for our native birds, and that such kindly interest will be shown for them elsewhere in New Zealand.

The story of the Peruvian guano deposits is a truly interesting one, demonstrating the judgment required when exploiting such deposits. Originally estimated to last 1,500 years, they were leased to American companies, which quickly removed the guano, almost destroyed the rookeries and the millions of birds. Even Peru was left with insufficient fertiliser for her agricultural needs. Drastic steps were taken to conserve the remnant of the birds, and the rookeries were strictly tapued during the nesting season, with the result that the deposits are being re-formed. Each bird is estimated to be worth 15 dollars to the Peruvian Government, so great is. the wealth produced. 1

Gannets, like other birds, have good reasons for nesting; in particular places, and no doubt White Island is chosen because large numbers of small fish are present when food is specially required.

In reference to this, Major Mercer, the owner of the island,, makes some very interesting observations. He states: “It may be of interest to the Society to know that for a period of about a month this summer the sea between Tauranga and White Island had a churned-up appearance, and a vast amount of floating kelp had been thrown up from the bottom. This, submarine disturbance caused a great scarcity of fish for fully three weeks, and during this period it was noticed that the gannets, instead of fishing, as is their wont, a few hundred yards from the island and returning every two or three hours with food for their young, disappeared in the early morning and returned late in the afternoon, often with no food. Every female gannet arriving at the rookery would be surrounded, by a horde of starving youngsters, many of which would fight each other until one or the other was seriously injured. There is no doubt that a great loss in young birds took place duringthis month. This was a great pity, because most of them had reached the stage when they were nearly fit to fly.