Electrofishing

On Thursday afternoon Kerry and I went out with the forestry company's environmental planner to do some stream monitoring. This meant electrofishing! While wearing waders for protection, you put on a backpack with a probe attached that delivers electric shocks to stun the fish in the water. Someone else holds a net downstream from the shocks to catch the stunned fish. We found heaps of macroinvertebrates (insect larvae that are developing in the water), crayfish (koura in Maori) and two kinds of fish, including a long-finned eel!


Kerry is wearing the shock-delivering backpack while the environmental planner holds the net and I take pictures.

The two species of eels in New Zealand have an interesting life cycle. They grow up in the freshwater streams, then as adults they migrate 5000 km to TONGA where they breed. Then the tiny elvers (baby eels) make their way back to NZ to grow up. In the Maori language, eel is a delicacy called 'tuna.'


This long-finned eel was about 26 cm long. They get much larger! Mature ones are as big around as your arm!

Carrie

P.S. In case anyone was wondering, it doesn't feel like summer here. We've had hail twice in the past three days and some mountains even had snow. I hope it's warmer at the beach for Christmas!