Source: Radio New Zealand
Inanga, a species fished as whitebait. Supplied / Sjaan Bowie
The declining state of some waterways is putting whitebait species at greater risk, according to the Department of Conservation (DOC).
DOC’s new freshwater fish report has found 28 percent of species are facing extinction and 32 percent are at risk of becoming threatened.
Inanga – one of the six species fished as whitebait – has moved from being classified as ‘At Risk – Declining’ to ‘Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable’.
The conservation agency said the worsened status reflected problems with the species’ spawning habitat, which was estimated to be less than 100 hectares nationally.
Since the last report of this kind in 2017, 11 species had worsened in status and 12 had improved, but DOC said that was largely due to better data rather than reduced threats.
DOC freshwater species manager Emily Funnell told RNZ habitat changes, such as sedimentation and shifted rivers due to climate change, were driving the problems.
“When we had Cyclone Gabrielle a few years ago up in the North Island that actually really impacted Inanga spawning habitat because whole rivers shifted from where they normally were.”
Funnell said that the areas would recover and come back over time, but it could have “pretty significant impact” on the fish.
She said to help fix the problems, people could get involved with community groups that restored habitats, fenced off rivers and got involved with regional councils.
Inanga eggs in vegetation. Supplied / Sjaan Bowie
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
