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Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water Quality and Ecosystem Health Monitoring Programme of Ihutai

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Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water Quality and Ecosystem Health Monitoring Programme of Ihutai Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai The sediments and biota of the Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers/Ihutai and tidal reaches of the Avon/Ōtākaro and Heathcote/Ōpawaho rivers Summary report on data collected in 2014 R15/131 ISBN 978-0-908316-70-0 (print) 978-0-908316-71-7 (web) Report prepared by Lesley Bolton-Ritchie June 2015 Data collected by EOS Ecology, for Christchurch City Council R15/131 ISBN 978-0-908316-70-0 (print) 978-0-908316-71-7 (web) PO Box 345 Christchurch 8140 Phone (03) 365 3828 Fax (03) 365 3194 75 Church Street PO Box 550 Timaru 7940 Phone (03) 687 7800 Fax (03) 687 7808 Website: www.ecan.govt.nz Customer Services Phone 0800 324 636 Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai Table of contents 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 1 2 Sampling .......................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Sampling sites ................................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Collection of samples ...................................................................................................... 3 2.2.1 Sediments .......................................................................................................... 3 2.2.2 Biota ................................................................................................................... 3 3 Results ............................................................................................................. 4 4 References ..................................................................................................... 17 Environment Canterbury Technical Report i Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai ii Environment Canterbury Technical Report Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai 1 Introduction Healthy intertidal estuarine sediment supports a diversity of animals, including anemones, snails, shellfish, worms, crabs and hoppers. The presence and survival of these animals (biota) depends on the quality and salinity of the water1 and the quality and grain size distribution of the sediment. The diversity and abundance of the animals provides food for fish and birds while shellfish, such as cockles, are a valued food item for many people. In addition these sediment-living animals, by their normal actions of feeding and burrowing, keep the sediments well oxygenated and healthy. The quality of sediment has the potential to be impacted by: • soil that runs off the land and into the rivers and estuary; • excessive amounts of organic matter; • the quality of the overlying water including high nutrient concentrations or low oxygen concentrations; • contaminants such as metals, pesticides and herbicides that enter the rivers and the estuary in stormwater and other legal and illegal discharges. The features of the sediment that influence the types and abundance of the animals that live on or in it are: • the size of the sediment grains that make up the sediment; • the amount of organic matter in the sediment; • the concentrations of potentially toxic contaminants. This annual report is a summary of the sediment and biota data for each site sampled in 2014. There are currently no national indicators that can be applied to the data to describe the relative state of the sediments and biota, for example, good health, poor health, very poor health. Rather, information of the present state is provided as sediment grain size distribution and summary data on the animals living in the sediment and the animals and obvious plant species on the surface of the sediment. 1 The water within the estuary is primarily a mix of the freshwater flowing out of the Avon/ Ōtākaro and Heathcote/ Ōpāwaho rivers and the sea water from Pegasus Bay that flows into the estuary as the tide rises. The annual water quality summary reports for 2014 can be found at www.ecan.govt.nz search:Ihutai Environment Canterbury Technical Report 1 Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai 2 Sampling 2.1 Sampling sites The sites sampled in 2014 are shown in Figure 2-1. Figure 2-1: The sampling sites within the Estuary of the Heathcote and Avon Rivers/Ihutai and in the tidal reaches of the Avon/Ōtākaro and Heathcote/Ōpāwaho rivers 2 Environment Canterbury Technical Report Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai 2.2 Collection of samples The methods used follow the national protocol for monitoring estuarine environments (Robertson et al., 2002). The GPS co-ordinates of each site were recorded. All sites were sampled in March 2014. The sites were sampled by EOS Ecology on contract to the Christchurch City Council. 2.2.1 Sediments The top 20 mm of sediment was collected. Five composite sediment samples were analysed for sediment grain size distribution 2.2.2 Biota Plants and animals on the surface of the sediment (epifauna) Fifteen, 50 cm x 50 cm (0.25 m2) quadrats were sampled. The number of each different type of animal on the surface of the sediment and the number of crab burrows in each quadrat was counted and recorded. The percentage of the surface covered by seaweeds and seagrass was determined using a grid overlying the quadrat. Crab burrows Crab burrows are common in the estuary. Burrows are easily counted but whether a crab lives in the burrow is not known. The type of crab in the burrow is also not known. The two common crabs that burrow in the estuary are the stalk-eyed mud crab (Hemiplax hirtipes) and the mud crab (Austrohelice crassa). Seaweed cover Green sea lettuce (Ulva sp.) and the red seaweed Gracilaria chilensis occur in the estuary. Where these seaweeds occur they cover the mudflat, so in a quadrat it is the percentage of the mudflat covered by seaweed that is used as a measure of seaweed abundance. Animals living in the sediment (infauna) Fifteen 130 mm diameter x 150 mm deep cores were sampled. Each sample was sieved through a 0.5 mm screen and the material retained on the screen stored in alcohol for analysis. The number of each different type of animal in each core was counted and recorded. Size distribution of some common animals The height of all mudflat snails present in the quadrats was measured. The length of all cockles in each quadrat (dug to a depth of 120 mm) was measured. Environment Canterbury Technical Report 3 Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai Mudflat snail (Amphibola crenata) Mudflat snails live on the sediment surface. They feed on the micro-organisms and organic matter in the sediment. As they feed they leave a string-like trail of waste. They lay their eggs into a tyre-like rim of mud. Mudflat snails can tolerate a wide range of salinity and temperature and exposure to air for considerable periods of time. Cockles (Austrovenus stutchburyi) Cockles live just below the sediment surface. The size classes described in the results are: Recruits 0 – 5 mm Juveniles 5 – 20 mm Reproductive adults >20 mm Edible size >35 mm 3 Results The results are presented by site. Plover Street Sediment grain size distribution Sample % clay % silt % sand % sand 1 1.2 9.8 89.0 % silt 2 3.3 19.2 77.5 3 2.1 13.6 84.3 % clay 4 2.2 14.2 83.6 5 2.3 13.4 84.3 This graph shows the average percent of each grain size group. There is some variability in the grain size composition between samples. The sediment at this site is muddy (mud=silt+clay) sand. 4 Environment Canterbury Technical Report Healthy Estuary and Rivers of the City Water quality and ecosystem health monitoring programme of Ihutai Invertebrate animals present at this site Scientific name Common name (710 individuals measured) Amphibola crenata mudflat snail COCKLES Arthritica sp. small bivalve 0% recruits Austrovenus stutchburyi cockle 25% juveniles Cominella glandiformis mudflat whelk snails and Cyclomactra ovata fragile-shell bivalve 75% reproductive adults shellfish Diloma subrostrata black topshell 0.3% edible size Macomona liliana wedge shell Micrelenchus tenebrosus topshell Size distribution of cockles 300 Notoacmea elongata small limpet 37% Potamopyrgus sp. small black snail 250 Aglaophamus macroura Aonides sp. 200 26% Boccardia sp. 21% Capitella capitata 150 Capitellidea Glycera americana 100 12% Hemipodia simplex cockles of Number Heteromastus filiformis 50 4% worms Manayunk ia sp. 0% Nicon aestuariensis 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 Orbinia papillosa Shell length (mm) Perinereis brevicirris Prionospio auck landica Scolecolepides benhami Scolelepis sp. Scoloplos cylindrifer Oligochaeta Amphipoda hoppers There were more animal taxa living in the Elminius modestus barnacle sediment at this site than at other sites. Halicarcinus sp. pill-box crab Worms are the most abundant animals with crustacea Helice crassa mud crab the worm Aonides sp, dominating the animal Hemigrapsus crenulatus hairy-handed crab community living in the sediment. Hemiplax hirtipes stalk-eyed mud crab Anthopleura aureoradiata anemone other Nemertea ribbon worm Summary of the presence and abundance of animals living in/on the sediment (core samples) number of taxa per core number of individuals per square
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