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The Lord Howe-Norfolk Islands Marine ecoregion has unusually high levels of endemic fish and invertebrates. The Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands were created by volcanic activity millions of years ago. The largest stretch of land is only 5 to 6 miles (8 to10 km) long and a few miles wide. Around this ancient family of islands is clear water and changing currents that create a high level of biodiversity on the coral reefs.
Located far out to sea, this marine ecoregion contains isolated habitats that have allowed a large number of endemic species of fish and invertebrates to evolve. Numerous small islets and towering rocks dot the ecoregion. Lord Howe Island itself supports the southernmost true coral reef in the world. Because warm and cold currents circulate here, both coral and algae grow well. Lagoons and pools offer animals shelter from the swirling sea. The skies are filled with seabirds that nest along these islands’ rocky shores. The ecoregion is a paradise for sooty and white terns, providence albatrosses, various shearwaters, black-winged and white-bellied storm petrels, masked boobies, and noddies. Southern right whales breed in quiet waters, while five species of beaked whales and dusky dolphins swim throughout the region. Green, flatback, loggerhead, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles paddle about. Fifty-seven coral species are known. The diversity of fish and invertebrates is rich, but it’s less rich than that of many other reefs due to more variable temperatures here.
Sewage causes some pollution, and coral has been killed by polluted groundwater entering the sea. Sub-Antarctic currents periodically denude reefs, but tropical currents help them recover by bringing fish and larvae.
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