The Star: September 13, 2018

The Star Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi
Thursday September 13 2018 17
Local
News
Now
Fire rages, homes at risk
by end of year Unlocking mysteries of rare fish
The idea is that taggers would
be less likely to vandalise the
work of a professional graffiti
artist.
“It’s a way of telling the story
of the site’s history through a
contemporary medium.”
Example’s of Wilson’s work
included panels at the Boxed
Quarter on St Asaph St, Cookie
Monster on Hereford St and
the hide and seek mural on the
side of the Unimed building at
the corner of Gloucester and
Manchester Sts.
Godley Head Heritage Trust
historian Peter Wilkins said the
murals would bring the history of
the site to life for visitors.
“It’s surrounding people with
the history, it’s like the stones are
talking.
“We want quality, not just
enthusiasm, and when you see
Wongi’s work, it really is quality,”
Mr Wilkins said.
ON LOOKOUT: Soldiers manning emplacement one during
a training shoot in 1942. ​
RADIO-TRACKING OF a
rare native fish is under way
to try and solve the mystery of
where they are spawning near
Marshland.
In 2015, lamprey, a threatened
species, were discovered living
in high numbers in the Canal
Reserve Drain in the Styx River
catchment.
Now, the National Institute of
Water and Atmospheric Science
is using innovative tagging and
tracking technology to find out
where the lamprey are laying
their eggs.
Its efforts are supported by
city council, Department of
Conservation and Environment
Canterbury.
Nine adult lamprey have so
far been fitted with passive
integrated transponder tags and
released back into the drain.
Their movements are being
monitored using both fixed and
a portable hand-held antenna.
The timber-lined box drain
is nearing the end of its life and
needs to be repaired or replaced,
so the tracking data will help
inform city council on what to
do next.
In 2013, NIWA scientists
discovered the first lamprey
spawning sites in the Southern
Hemisphere when the jawless
fish were found to spawn beneath
boulders in a bush stream
on Banks Peninsula.
However, city council waterways
ecologist Greg Burrell said
surprisingly, lamprey may also
be using the wooden lining of
the drain as a spawning site and
appear to be flourishing in this
unusual location.
The monitoring project now
under way is of national importance,
Mr Burrell said.
It will continue until next
year when hopefully enough
information will have been
collected.
NIWA principal scientist
Cindy Baker said the fish won’t
spawn for 16 months, so it’s a
long wait.
When the radio tag batteries
INNOVATION:
NIWA
scientists Don
Jellyman and
Cindy Baker
tracking
lamprey
living in a box
drain near
Marshland Rd.
die, after 150 days, the scientists
will rely on tags to follow them
to their spawning habitat.
“The over-arching goal is to
provide knowledge on what
habitats are vital to maintaining
lamprey in the drain and look
at options for how the council
can upgrade the box lining to
protect the lamprey population
and the habitats they use, while
also making the drain more
sustainable for the future,” said
Dr Baker.
Townhouse showhome open day
Tuesday 18 September, 10am–3pm
We warmly invite you to come along to
view our townhouse showhome, have a
cuppa with me and we can chat about your
retirement living options.
For more information please
phone Claire on 338 7696
5 Corbett Crescent, Aidanfield
• Fixed weekly fee* • Deferred management fee capped at 20% • Plus seven more guarantees!
* Terms and conditions apply
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