Diving into the history of the Marlborough Sounds reveals a much-changed seascape

Abstract

Bob Marley famously once sang: If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from. It has been 250 years since the Endeavour entered Queen Charlotte Sound/Tōtaranui. Niwa marine ecologist Dr Sean Handley and I were curious to know what the Marlborough Sounds ecosystems were like then, how the land and marine environments have changed over time, the state today, and how might these ecosystems look in another 250 years.