Forest & Bird Manawatū - August 2019 Monthly Meeting

Talk: Why are Fish Passages Important?
Speaker: Logan Brown, Freshwater and Partnerships Manager, Horizons Regional Council

Many of the Manawatū-Whanganui region's native freshwater fish are migratory in nature, that is they require access to the sea at some stage in their life cycle. When returning from the sea to suitable freshwater habitats, which can be anywhere from our lowlands to our mountain ranges, they require unimpeded access.

The ability of some of our native fish species to overcome natural barriers is amazing however, humans have placed multiple barriers in their way ranging from poorly installed culverts to weirs through to dams. Within Horizons there is an active programme to identify these barriers, prioritise them for remediation and work with locals to undertake remedial action.

Logan will talk about the active programme that Horizons oversees, cover off how we prioritise fixes, decide on the appropriate solution and how we undertake the fixes. In addition, he will briefly touch on the monitoring that is undertaken to ensure that any remedial action that is undertaken is effective for allowing fish to migrate upstream.

All welcome. Gold coin donation appreciated.