Life in local streams? Hamilton City >120 km of mapped gully stream Many seepages Mangakotukutuku Other urban sites Gibbons Te Awa O Katapaki “Hospital” stream Bankwood Freshwater fish Over 40 native freshwater species Around 21 introduced species Many native species migrate (e.g., whitebait) Some are long-lived – eels can live >80 years Eat invertebrates – terrestrial and aquatic Lay eggs – sometimes outside the stream Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Fish in Hamilton streams 25 Non-threatened native species – 5 spp Threatened native species – 4 spp 20 Introduced species – 4 spp 15 10 Common bully Redfin bully Number of sites 5 0 The baddies Bruno David, WRC Photos: Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Longfin eel THREATENED animal.discovery.com Giant kokopu THREATENED Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Banded kokopu Inanga - whitebait Torrentfish Torrentfish Common bully Torrentfish THREATENED (Photos: Stephen Moore, Landcare Research) THREATENEDStephen Moore, Landcare Research Torrentfish THREATENED Stephen Moore, Landcare Research THREATENED Koura Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Black mudfish THREATENED Photo Nick Ling Common bully Banded kokopu Redfin bully Smelt Redfin bully (Photos: Stephen Moore, Landcare Research) Fish sampling Electric fishing B.Hicks, University of Waikato B.Hicks, University of Waikato Spot-lighting Fyke netting Minnow trapping Mangakotukutuku trib. Stephen Moore, Landcare Research B.Hicks, University of Waikato Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stephen Moore, Landcare Research EELS INANGA Autumn Late summer - Autumn Spring Spring terra.govt.nz Fish migration Diagram courtesy of Cindy Baker, NIWA Eggs Stephen Moore, Landcare Research www.doc.govt.nz Distance travelled 5,000 km Eels Inanga Banded kokopu Distance travelled > 110 km Hamilton Banded kokopu Giant kokopu Inanga Hamilton www.wikipedia.com www.wikipedia.com The food pyramid Eels B. David, WRC Small fish S. Moore, Landcare Research Big invertebrates S. Moore, Landcare Research Small invertebrates S. Moore, Landcare Research Algae, leaves etc Stream insects B. Smith, NIWA Seeps and springs are important …disconnected from stormwater network …30% of mayfly and caddisfly species from McCraw 2011 …uncommon, iconic and even new invertebrate species Oxyethira kirikiriroa B. Smith, NIWA Giant bush dragonfly T.Wilding, NIWA Sensitive invertebrates Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Tolerant invertebrates Stephen Moore, Landcare Research Stormwater Storm runoff can occur 10 times more often Typical large floods can occur 3 times more often Temperatures can be around 6oC warmer Channelisation Historical legacies… …such as old landfills Water quality • Keep chemicals out of drains • Clean cars on the grass • Keep rubbish out of the gully/stream • Paint roofs • Disconnect downpipes if roof-cleaning etc Restore fish passage Enhance habitat Re-introduce fish (a) 140 Parana Park (P1) P1 130 Chartwell Park (K11) Mangaiti Park (K10b) Average 120 Mangakotukutuku (M11) M11 110 K11 K10b 100 90 Length(mm) 80 70 60 50 Jan Mar Apr Jun Aug Sep Nov Jan Time 2007 (b) 30 P1 25 Average 20 M11 15 K10b K11 Weight (g) Weight B. Bartells, NIWA 10 Giant kokopu 5 0 Jan Mar Apr Jun Aug Sep Nov Jan Time 2007 Riparian planting .