Pāuatahanui Stream eDNA project

We took the samples at sites where tributaries joined the main stream so that we could look at differences within some of the tributaries, for example, different habitat loss or gain or the presence or absence of fish passage barriers. This in turn will help us to establish priorities for our catchment work such as riparian planting or providing better fish passage.

The most exciting outcome of the sampling was to discover that we have 8 of the 10 taonga freshwater species in the Pāuatahanui Stream, including the Nationally vulnerable pouched lamprey, New Zealand’s only lamprey species. 

Knowing the fish species present within each of the tributaries in enabling us to look at the different freshwater environments that could account for their presence and/or absence.  These include fish passage barriers, stream shading,  modifications to streams and general stream health.

As well as our community evening focusing on the fish species, we have also provided the community with a summary of findings for each stream.  These include the Taxon-Independent Community Index (TICI) scores giving a measure of a stream's ecological health as well as lists of what else (invertebrates, mammals, birds, plants) was found in "their stream" subcatchment.

Belmont Stream https://bit.ly/49UGn3m

Flightys Stream https://bit.ly/3JEHZ6u

Haywards Stream https://bit.ly/3WtSZey

Pāuatahanui Stream https://bit.ly/3y0f2PY

Lower Moonshine Stream https://bit.ly/3WifVgY

Upper Moonshine Stream https://bit.ly/3wgLn4u