On 24 January, Hana Aickin and Amy Sadler. Catchment Co-ordinators from Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, carried out an eDNA test of the stream water on the border of the Erikson’s and Harvey’s properties. eDNA is a scientific method used to detect species by collecting their genetic material shed into the aquatic environment. They were excited that the test detected the presence of Giant Bully, a regionally vulnerable species in Auckland.
On 14 February, Hana Aickin, Richard Taylor and Briar Broad waded through the spring tide (2.7m HT) armed with their salinity metre and began to measure the salinity of the waterway until they found the upper limit of the high spring tide. This helped to narrow down where to search for potential spawning habitat for inanga. While they were up near the top of the saltwater wedge, they were delighted to find schools of inanga.
On 31 March Hana Aickin, Jo Evans, and Susan Gibbings watched the ebb and flow of the spring tide (2.7m HT) and marked where the tide reached, in order to narrow down the area to search for inanga eggs. A couple of small schools were observed upstream and it is hoped the forecast rain may act as a trigger for the inanga to make their way down to the spawning zone.
