Post by University of Canterbury

New UC research is revealing the secret life of adult whitebait species living upstream in Te Tai Poutini West Coast waterways 🐟 UC School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr Ben Crichton spent two years surveying streams after dark — catching, tagging and tracking kōkopu to better understand how juvenile supply and habitat conditions shape adult populations. The findings show that while whitebaiting can influence the number of juveniles migrating upstream, quality adult habitat is also critical for these long-lived, often rare fish to survive, grow and spawn. What happens at the river mouth is connected to what happens upstream — and better understanding these fish is key to managing them for the future. UC Science Stuart Parsons Angus McIntosh #UCResearch #ShapingTheFuture

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