Whatever your location or aquatic environment, we can provide an appropriate relocation or transfer method and plan for aquatic biota, including fish, waikōura/freshwater crayfish and kākahi/freshwater mussels – all while accommodating your construction schedule and activities. We have experience implementing fish and other aquatic biota relocations for riverbank and seawall repair and construction, in-river works and channel realignment, channel decommissioning, bridge and culvert repair, replacement and construction, sediment removal and macrophyte removal.
Our scientists are experienced working on active construction sites and within confined spaces. We’re able to integrate with your site health & safety protocols, and we’ve developed easy-to-understand information sheets of our operations for your construction team’s use. We understand that each project has its own requirements and challenges, so we tailor our services to your specific needs.
We have extensive experience with the legal requirements around relocations of biota and hold all the required collection and transfer permits from Ministry for Primary Industries, Department of Conservation and Fish & Game. Our science team is also able to develop transfer plans that may be required under your consent conditions or for the transfer of protected or endangered species.
Ōpāwaho Heathcote River Bank StabilisationChristchurch City Council & Citycare
With an aim to improve bank stability, Christchurch City Council’s Ōpāwaho/Heathcote River project involved bank stabilisation works along a six kilometre stretch of the river. To support this effort, we conducted extensive fish rescues, responding to the in-river construction activities that required fish removals prior to site works. Over two phases from early 2018–mid-2019, the team completed 88 site visits and relocated almost 3,000 fish and other native aquatic species. Collaborating closely with the river works contractor, City Care, the our science team adapted their fish rescue methods to the varied bank stabilisation construction techniques and site conditions, using both electrofishing for shallow sections and trapping for deeper waters to capture native species.
Beyond safeguarding individual species, the fish rescues supported the ecological integrity of the river. By relocating fish upstream or downstream to suitable habitats and preventing re-entry into construction zones, we helped maintain the resilience of native species such as īnanga, eels, and rare lamprey and waikōura/crayfish. This project highlights the role of fish rescue efforts in mitigating construction impacts, promoting long-term ecosystem health, and preserving native biodiversity in urban waterways.
Kōwaro Canterbury Mudfish Transfer PlanEnvironment Canterbury
We’ve developed a transfer plan for the critically endangered kōwaro/Canterbury mudfish to support habitat restoration efforts under the Hekeao Hinds Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) project and the Selwyn-Waihora Targeted Stream Augmentation (TSA) project. These projects aimed to enhance existing habitats and create new environments suitable for kōwaro in the Selwyn and South Hinds catchments. Our transfer plan was designed to facilitate the application for a permit to transfer the kōwaro, which was approved by the Department of Conservation (DOC).
Our plan outlined key habitat criteria that needed to be met at the release sites prior to relocation, ensuring the new sites offered suitable habitat, adequate food sources, and protection from predatory fish species. We defined the population surveys to be done at the source sites prior to transfer, to evaluate fish abundance and health, to inform sustainable transfer quotas. The plan included detailed transfer protocols to ensure the safe capture, handling, and relocation of the mudfish, as well as timing of transfers around their breeding cycles to maximise acclimatisation and reproductive success at the new sites. Finally, we outlined the post-transfer monitoring, to assess the survival and reproduction rates of the relocated mudfish, and to enable necessary adjustments to the release habitat.
By leveraging our expertise in developing and implementing effective transfer plans, EOS Ecology has significantly contributed to the conservation of kōwaro, thereby promoting biodiversity and ecological health in vulnerable freshwater ecosystems.
