Shellfish deaths at Auckland reserve sparks investigation

Large numbers of dead shellfish have been found at Auckland's Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve. Photo / File

Large numbers of dead shellfish have been found in an Auckland marine reserve, prompting an investigation by authorities.

The dead shellfish, mostly cockles, were found on the shoreline at the entrance to the Okura River estuary at the northern end of the Long Bay-Okura Marine Reserve on the North Shore.

MPI were alerted today and staff gathered about 40 dying shellfish from the estuary.

Officials from the Department of Conservation (DOC), the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) and Auckland Council were now working to understand what killed them.

MPI was testing dead shellfish from the estuary to determine if they have been infected by a disease.

Auckland Council, which monitored the condition of the marine environment across the region, was pulling together data it had gathered for the area, and was also seeking to collect extra seawater samples from the Okura River Estuary.

"We don't know why the shellfish have died so we're working with MPI and Auckland Council to try and establish the cause of death," DOC Auckland mainland operations manager Kirsty Prior said.