NATIONALLY ENDANGERED

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This shag species is endemic to New Zealand and only exists in the Marlborough Sounds with 85% of them located at only five colonies: Rahuinui Island, Duffers Reef, Trio Islands, Sentinel Rock and White Rocks.
 

On a world scale, this is a minuscule population in a tiny area at the top of the South Island.
 

A small population concentrated in such a small space makes them highly susceptible to single extinction threat

events such as an oil spill.

 

As humans we are also adding constant pressures to their daily lives. Aquaculture, forestry and nitrate leaching from inorganic fertilisers and animal and human waste can cause disturbance to their food source.
 

These King shags are barely holding on. A combination of oil spills, nitrate leaching, fishing nets, disturbance, and climate change - which affects their nesting sites and food sources and contributes to toxic algae blooms, collectively form a dangerous brew of stressors and makes the extinction of King shags a very real possibility.

 

A 2016 survey showed a decline of more than 37% in active breeding pairs compared to 2015.

 

The latest survey in 2021 counted just 253 pairs.