28 February 2014
Archived
The EOS team enjoyed returning to Banks Peninsula during February, to survey 13 streams for native fish and freshwater invertebrates.
This work is part of a Christchurch City Council project to identify ‘Sites of Ecological Significance’ on Banks Peninsula and this is the second year that EOS was involved.
EOS’s senior technician Amber Sinton said that last year’s survey work was one of the most fun fieldwork projects she had done that year, and the surveys carried out this year also took the field team to some interesting and scenic places.
“We worked in some beautiful spots and found some really cool invertebrates last year, some of which are endemic to the Peninsula, others which are now rare throughout Canterbury.”
The invertebrate samples from this year are yet to be processed, but some of the notable endemic invertebrates found last year included;
- Costachorema peninsulae (caddis fly),
- Hydrobiosis styx (caddis fly),
- Neocurupira chiltoni (midge).
“Some of these larvae were really cool and spiky, some just pretty—although I guess it’s the sort of beauty that’s in the eye of the beholder,” said Amber.
Native fish such as banded kokopu, koaro and redfin bully were found to be reasonably common on the peninsula, but no longer common on the Canterbury Plains.
"The EOS surveys are helping the City Council to identify streams which are of outstanding ecological value, so that we can find ways to support landowners and communities to protect and enhance them,” said Liz Garson, from Christchurch City Council.
“It is an exciting time in the history of ecological protection on the peninsula, as years of contributions by local people and scientists come together to safeguard the wonderful biodiversity here."
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