Spawning habitat maps for Ōtautahi waterways

These maps show results from two years of spawning site surveys plus two years of straw bale experiments in the waterways of Ōtautahi Christchurch. Compare them with the Whaka Inaka maps where we took all of the known sites at the end of 2015 and tested if there might be others both in the gaps and further upstream/downstream. And yes there were.

These maps are available as free downloads. There's some other maps available too ..
check them out here www.resilientshorelines.nz/p/resources.html

There's a lot of data behind these dots. In the coming months we'll be processing the 2016 data for spatial statistics and egg productivity, followed by analysis of the environmental parameters measured at spawning sites. The result will be an improved understanding of spawning habitat and predictors of its location and quality. 

These sites combined equal the largest recorded area of īnanga spawning habitat in the South Island. Protecting these sites and making sure the eggs make it through to hatching is a great opportunity for conservation in Christchurch!

The initial findings from the Whaka Inaka project are shown on the following maps prepared by Shelley and the team at EOS Ecology. These results have helped identify the full extent of īnanga spawning habitat in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Thanks to the Department of Conservation Community Fund and the other sponsors and supporters who made Whaka Inaka possible.