Mudfish surveying

[Stella]

Well, it is the last week of our native fish surveying fieldwork :tears:

It has been so much fun - many shortjaws, koaro, crays and a few eels. Rolling the ute down a 100m cliff was less fun, but still rather entertaining (still dealing with concussion side-effects, they suck).

This week we are surveying for mudfish in the Waverley area, South Taranaki http://goo.gl/maps/2Gch

Muddies are difficult critters. They live in wetlands, which are hard for us to crash through, and not so much in streams or pools as shallow muddy puddles. They are best found by trapping but it can be really difficult finding places that you can actually get traps in.

They are also amazing because when the wetland dries up over summer they can wriggle under logs and down root holes and survive out of the water for several months, as long as they stay damp!

Why survey for mudfish? They are pretty rare due to wetland drainage for agriculture. NZ has lost 95% of our wetlands :facepalm:

Now, check out this distribution map of the brown mudfish:

See that huge break in the distribution in the North Island between Hawera, Taranaki and the Rangitikei River?

Today we are able to put an exciting new dot on the map filling in that gap a little!!! :thup:

That dot looks like this:

SQUEEEEEE!! MUDFISHY!!!! :happy1:

This is the area he was found in:

and the actual puddle:

and the traps we use:

They are like a hinaki/eel trap/cray pot with an inverted funnel so critters go in easily and find it difficult to get out again. These traps separate in the middle so you can release the critter. We don't bait them, it doesn't make a difference for most native fish.

Let's see that fishy again:

AWWWWWW!!!

We also found:

AND!!!!!

Kakahi or freshwater mussel.

These guys are also threatened. Pollution is a biggie but also due to poor recruitment: the juveniles are parasitic on the gills of fish for a brief period. Their preferred fish are in decline, so it gets harder for the juveniles to find a fish.

One last time, back in the puddle he came from:

:nfs:

[blueether]

That's cool to see that there are undiscovered populations of mudfish around, such weird looking little things.

Found a good sized bed of Kakahi a few months, with lots of them sub 50mm. This was from a lake where the only natives are bullies and eel (no koaro that I know of), there are trout, rudd and catfish. I'm wondering if catfish make a good host as I have seen another population of freshwater mussel in another lake that has a high catfish population?

[twinkles]

Very cool :bounce:

The pics of where it was found are interesting, you'd never think a little hole like that could be a perfect fish habitat. Hopefully there's lots more unnoticed in their hidey holes around the country

[Ira]

Huh...Catch mudfish by fishing in mud, never would have thought of it. :slfg:

[GrahamC]

Your little mudfish looks a tad similar to a baby xenomorph/alien!

[supasi]

Awesome find Stella.

Now you just need to find some closer to Wanganui.

Can I ask how you found it? Was there reports of sightings or did you just find locations that looked suitable and set the traps and hope for the best.

[nativelover]

where did you get these traps i would love to get one.