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New Zealand More well known for the Poor Knights
Islands, famously listed in Jacques
Cousteau’s top 10 dive sites,
New Zealand is becoming more widely
recognised as one of the last healthy
oceans in the world. The South West
Pacific waters surrounding the small
nation are one of the last remaining
hotspots where healthy numbers of
mako shark can be found.The shortfin mako shark (Isurus
oxyrinchus) is a widely distributed
pelagic apex predator, inhabiting
tropical and temperate waters between
latitudes 50° N and 55°S. As with most
sharks, slow growth rates and late
maturity make the species sensitive to
exploitation. Due to their prized meat,
fins, cartilage, liver oil and game fish
fight, combined with inadequatelyPOOR KNIGHTS
ISLANDS
Text by Riley Elliott
Image by Matt Draper