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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]
The expedition took place in January and February 1954. The vessel used to undertake this expedition was the MV Alert. The Alert, which had been used for other scientific expeditions,[3] was specially fitted out for this expedition with dredging and trawling equipment, a winch and specially designed sorting benches.[4]
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. They visited a number of locations on Rekohu (the main island) including Owenga, Kaingaroa, Waitangi, Petre Bay, Te Whanga Lagoon and Port Hutt. Scientists also landed on the smaller islands of South East (Rangatira) Island, Pitt Island, The Sisters and the Forty-Fours.
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.
The expedition collected thousands of specimens of both land and marine fauna including over 150 new species. Over 1200 specimens from the expedition are held by Te Papa.[6] Photographs taken by Dawson are held in the Alexander Turnbull Library.
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.
The following publications resulted from the expedition: