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An initiative to protect and restore īnanga (whitebait) spawning habitats on the Hibiscus Coast and in East Coast Bays is already showing results and boosting their chances of survival.
The Hibiscus and Bays Īnanga Spawning Project, delivered by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, is mainly funded by the Hibiscus and Bays Local Board.
As part of the project, Mountains to Sea has delivered its Whitebait Connection education programme to local schools and community groups.
The nationwide programme aims to empower communities, landowners and schools to protect freshwater ecosystems. It focuses on native freshwater fish, particularly whitebait species, and teaches participants about their life cycles, habitats and threats. Through hands-on learning, stream studies and restoration projects, the programme encourages kaitiakitanga and community action.
Programme co-ordinator Sarah Dimitrijevic says the project is already showing results due to the combined support of community groups, schools and the local board.
“A crucial part of the project is running education and events with community groups and schools to teach them about the habitats,” Dimitrijevic says. She has worked with groups including Ōtanerua Eco Neighbours, Nukumea Stream Team, Silverdale School Kaitiaki Group, King Tides Project, Friends of Okura Bush, Restore Hibiscus and Bays, and trappers supported by Forest and Bird.
“The pest trapping makes a huge difference, as it means we can focus on the fish ecology and providing education to volunteers,” she says.
The trust also runs school programmes that take students to spawning sites, teaching them how to plant and maintain habitats.
Īnanga are the adult stage of one of the five whitebait species, Galaxias maculatus. They are the smallest of the group, growing no larger than 110mm, and the only one unable to climb barriers.
As a result, they have developed unique survival skills, living in both fresh and salt water. Inanga live upriver, then move downstream to spawn. Once the larvae hatch, they are swept out to sea to grow into whitebait before returning in spring to their home rivers. Spawning takes place where fresh and salt water meet, an area known as the saltwater wedge. Eggs are laid in riverbank vegetation during spring tides, above the usual river flow, where the vegetation can protect the eggs.
“Unfortunately, the habitat needed for eggs to survive is often damaged or absent,” Dimitrijevic says.
“This includes predation by introduced pests and damage caused to stream banks, such as mowing. As inanga return to the same spawning sites, it is critical that these areas are protected and improved for the species to thrive.”
To find out more or get involved www.mountainstosea.org.nz
