Up the Creek | River Source

ANI'S DIARY
We reach the source of the river high in the hills. The water is crystal clear, and there is bush everywhere. Rick wants to fish, but Dion reckons the traditional season is over, and we don't want to break tikanga. So we decide to "catch" fish with a spotlight instead!

If you were fishing in a river and decided to keep
only introduced fish and throw back native species, which of the following fish would you throw back?

	Short-jawed kökopu
	Rainbow trout
	Brown trout
	Lamprey (piharau)

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Respecting tikanga

As well as spiritual beliefs, the rules and protocols of Mäori tikanga are also based on hundreds of years of managing a fragile resource. These "rules" exist to ensure that stocks of fish are not used up. Elements of tikanga, such as seasonal harvesting and rähui, conserve resources and increase biodiversity. Legal restrictions on catch numbers are enforced for the same reasons.

Spotlighting – lighting up the night

Going spotlighting can be heaps of fun. Most native freshwater fish are small, camouflaged, nocturnal, solitary, and secretive and so are difficult to see during the day. However, if you shine a spotlight into a mountain stream at night, you're likely to see far more fish – and you don't need to kill them.

Unwanted visitors! Introduced fish

Introduced freshwater fish include koi carp, catfish, rudd, perch, tench, rainbow and brown trout, and mosquito fish. Some of these introduced species are a threat because they either eat our native freshwater fish or compete for the same food.