Fish monitoring to start

As annual monitoring of spawning trout and salmon starts across the region, Otago Fish & Game is asking the public to avoid disturbing important habitats of the fish.

Fish & Game officers surveyed waterways annually to count spawning fish and identify areas where trout and salmon were successfully reproducing, a statement from the organisation said.

Officers walked sections of streams and recorded the number of adult fish observed, along with "clear gravel depressions" — known as redds — where fish had dug into the gravel to create places to lay and fertilise their eggs.

Otago Fish & Game ecologist Jayde Couper said the annual surveys provided important insights into the health of fish populations and helped to guide management decisions.

"Winter is an important time for monitoring because it captures the tail end of salmon spawning and the peak of brown trout spawning.

"Most rainbow trout will spawn later in the year.

"Trout and salmon generally move upstream from larger rivers and lakes into smaller, clear, stable streams, where they lay their eggs in shallow gravel.

"These spawning areas are vulnerable, so we’re asking all river users to take care around waterways this winter." — Allied Media