The Cape Rodney-Okakari Marine Reserve was established in 1975 and is NZ’s first marine reserve. The 500-hectare area extends out 800 metres around Goat Island, named after the goats seafarers left there as a food source more than 100 years ago. As a ‘no-take’ marine reserve, set aside for scientific study, the marine life is fully protected. It covers a coastline of about 5km, encompasses 5km2 or 500 ha. It is situated about 90 km to the north of the city of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city and takes just over one hour to get there by car.
羅德尼角—奥卡卡利角海洋保護區於1975年設立，是新西蘭首個海洋保護區。該面積達500公頃的海洋保護區環繞山羊島方圓800公尺。山羊島因100年前航海者放養在島上作為食物來源的山羊而得名。作為一個禁止捕魚區，該海洋保護區僅供科研用途，因此區內的海洋生物得到全面保護。區內的海岸線長達5公里，總面積為5平方公里(500公頃) 。羅德尼角—奥卡卡利角海洋保護區位於新西蘭最大城市奧克蘭北部90公里，車程約1小時。
The marine reserve had become an important place for people to experience marine life in a natural setting. Each year more than 300,000 people visit this five kilometer stretch of coast to view the abundant fish and sea life in the reserve. Nearly 4000 people a day visit at the height of summer and they all come for a close encounter with the fish and other marine life. In 2003 the Rodney Economic Development Trust estimated the marine reserve pumped NZ$12 million (HK$74 million) into the local economy.New Zealand now has 27 marine reserves which make up about seven percent of our territorial sea.
這個海洋保護區已成為人們體驗大自然海洋生態的重要地點。每年有超過30萬人到訪這個5公里長的海岸，觀賞區內豐富的魚類及海洋生物。夏天最高峰時每天遊客多達4,000人，他們都希望可以近距離接觸魚類及其他海洋生物。洛尼經濟發展信託基金會在2003年估計，羅德尼角—奥卡卡利角海洋保護區已為當地經濟帶來1200萬新西蘭元(約港幣7400萬元)的收益。新西蘭目前共有27個海洋保護區，約佔新西蘭領海總面積的7%。
I was lucky enough to visit the reserve in December 2007 and what struck me was how it could be compared to our own marine parks in Hong Kong and in particular the Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park. Designated on 5 July 1996, it was one of the first batch of Marine Parks established in Hong Kong and is located in a sheltered bay located north of the Sai Kung West Country Park. It covers an area of about 260 hectares, about half the size of the Goat Island marine reserve, has a similar length coastline and is our only marine park with direct road access, similar to Goat Island. Like Goat Island it’s also a very popular place for HK people to visit but may well have even more people visiting than Goat Island.
我有幸於2007年12月訪問了羅德尼角—奥卡卡利角海洋保護區。把該海洋保護區與香港的海岸公園，特別是海下灣海岸公園作比較，實在令我感慨萬千。設立於1996年7月5日，位於西貢西郊野公園北部避風港的海下灣海岸公園，是香港首批設立的海岸公園之一。該海岸公園的總面積約為260公頃，相當於山羊島海洋保護區的一半左右。和山羊島海洋保護區相似，海下灣海岸公園擁有差不多長度的海岸線，也是香港唯一可以經由陸路到達的海岸公園，其受歡迎程度可以媲美甚至超過山羊島海洋保護區。
Sadly, the comparison ends there as Goat Island appears to have far richer and more prolific marine life than Hoi Ha Wan even though the water is much colder than Hong Kong and has no coral. You can snorkel, scuba dive or take a glass bottom boat trip through Goat Island and be amazed by the numbers of fish you will see. Even in you stand in knee deep water the fish will surround you, almost bumping into your legs!
只可惜，兩者的比較到此為止。雖然水溫較香港冷，也沒有珊瑚礁，山羊島海洋保護區的海洋生物品種卻比海下灣海岸公園豐富得多。你可以在山羊島海洋保護區進行浮潛、水肺潛水，或乘坐玻璃底船遊覽，一定會因為看到如此多的魚類而感到驚奇不已。即使你站立在水深及膝的地方，也會感覺到魚兒圍繞著你，幾乎踫到你的腿！
So what’s the difference? Goat Island is longer established than Hoi Ha Wan its true but it’s subject to all the same pressures as Hoi Ha Wan, save one. Goat Island is a true “No take zone” while Hoi Ha Wan and all our other Marine parks allow commercial fishing.
分別在哪裏？無疑山羊島海洋保護區成立的歷史比海下灣海岸公園要長一些，但它要承受的壓力都是相同的。只有一點分別，那就是山羊島海洋保護區是一個真正的” 禁止捕魚區” ，而我們的海下灣和其他海岸公園卻仍然允許商業捕魚。
It makes you wonder how our fish population might look if we banned fishing completely in our marine parks?
你可有想過，假如我們全面禁止在海岸公園內捕魚，香港的魚類品種會有多豐富？
