1954 Chatham Islands expedition

LocationCountry of originStartLyttelton 
22 January 1954 EndLyttelton 
12 February 1954 LeaderOrganiserFunderVesselsParticipants

The 1954 Chatham Islands expedition was a research expedition organised by George Knox of the University of Canterbury to explore the distribution of benthic and pelagic marine fauna living between the Chatham Islands / Rēkohu and the eastern coast of New Zealand.

The idea for the expedition came from George Knox.^[1] Funding was received from the New Zealand Oceanographic Committee, via the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR).^[2][3]

The expedition took place in January and February 1954.^[3][4][5] The vessel used to undertake this expedition was the MV Alert.^[3] The Alert, which had been used for other scientific expeditions,^[6] was specially fitted out for this expedition with dredging and trawling equipment, a winch and specially designed sorting benches.^[7]

On its way to the Chathams the expedition did oceanographic work on the Mernoo Bank on the Chatham Rise, the area of sea bed between Banks Peninsula and the Chatham Islands.^[2] They visited a number of locations on Rekohu (the main island) including Owenga, Kaingaroa, Waitangi, Petre Bay, Te Whanga Lagoon and Port Hutt.^[3] Scientists also landed on the smaller islands of South East (Rangatira) Island, Pitt Island, The Sisters and the Forty-Fours.^[1][3]

• John Yaldwyn, crustacea^[3]
• Richard Dell, molluscs^[3]
• George Alexander Knox, polychaetes^[3]
• David McNiven Garner, hydrology^[3]
• Ray Forster, terrestrial invertebrates^[3]
• Betty Batham, marine biology^[3][8]
• Daphne Marshall, photographer^[3]
• John Munne Moreland, marine ichthyologist^[3][8]
• John McIntyre, marine biology^[2][3]
• Elliot Watson Dawson, oceanography and birds^[3][8]
• A.J. Black, ship's master^[2][3]

Members of the expedition came from several different institutions: University of Canterbury, Canterbury Museum, Dominion Museum, Victoria University, the DSIR, Portobello Marine Laboratory and the University of Otago Medical School.^[1][2][3]

The expedition collected thousands of specimens of both land and marine fauna including over 150 new species.^[1][3][6] Over 1200 specimens from the expedition are held by Te Papa.^[5] Photographs taken by Dawson are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library.^[8]

Dell named a deep water snail after the expedition ship and its master Alertalex blacki while another snail was named Chathamidia expeditionis after the expedition.^[6]

The following publications resulted from the expedition:

• Yaldwyn, John (1954). "Nephrops challengeri Balss, 1914, (Crustacea, Decapoda, Reptantia) from New Zealand and Chatham Island Waters". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 82: 721 – via Papers Past.
• Knox, G. A. (1954). "The Intertidal Flora and Fauna of the Chatham Islands". Nature. 174 (4436): 871–873. doi:10.1038/174871a0. ISSN 0028-0836.
• Dawson, E.W. (1955). "Birds of the Chatham Islands". Notornis. 6 (3): 78–82.
• Brewin, Beryl I. (1956). "Ascidians from the Chatham Islands and the Chatham Rise". Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 84, 1956-57, Page 121. 84: 121 – via Papers Past.
• Knox, G. A. (1957). General account of the Chatham Islands 1954 expedition by G.A. Knox. New Zealand. Department of Scientific Industrial Research.^[3]
• Pike, R. B. (1961). A new bopyrid parasite collected by the Chatham Islands 1954 expedition. New Zealand. Marine Department.
• Biological results of the Chatham Islands 1954 expedition. (1960-1972). Wellington: New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Parts 1-7.

• 1924 Chatham Islands expedition

• Biological Results of The Chatham Islands 1954 Expedition, ourheritage.ac.nz – Photo of the M.V. Alert at the Seven Sisters
• Three men carrying a crate onto the wharf at Lyttleton Port. Scientific expedition to Chatham Islands, 1954. Te Ūaka, the Lyttleton Museum