By Cornelia Vervoon, Partnerships Ranger, Franz Josef
Rangers Mirella Pomeroy and Myles Riki were out in Saltwater Forest on the West Coast last week completing the local annual mudfish (Neochanna apoda) survey.
They set 30 traps and caught 32 mudfish, half a dozen koura/crayfish and some kokopu – a great result!
Mudfish are under increasing threat from habitat loss, so to find them thriving in Saltwater Forest is a really positive sign.
Mirella found out what the bigger ones have been eating:
“We caught this one mudfish, which we thought was pregnant because it had a really big belly. Then we picked it up for a closer look… and it regurgitated (“blleeerrrgh”) a juvenile kokopu into Myles’s hand.”
You can find more information about mudfish and New Zealand’s other freshwater fish species on the DOC website.
Saltwater Forest is a spectacular part of NZ, keep up the good work!
Well done guys! Keep it up. Just loved Saltwater Forest when I was on the Coast. Not too much damage there from the storm?