Project partners team up with electric fishing
As part of Te Hoiere Project, the Department of Conservation and Marlborough District Council teamed up to learn about electric fishing, a research tool used around the world.
New Zealand has 51 species of native freshwater fish. Most are nocturnal, small and hard to find. The most efficient way to find out where they live is to use electric fishing.
This works by sending a small electric current through the water that temporarily stuns the fish without harming them which means they can be captured far more efficiently than other methods, such as netting.
Once the fish are caught, they are identified, measured and released back into the water unharmed. This information helps to identify what species live in local streams.
Council teamed with DOC for this training at Pollard Park in Blenheim and will use the technique in Te Hoiere waterways as part of work to better understand the distribution of threatened native fish and barriers to migration.
