They are rare and endangered, tiny, slimy and NorthTec student Nina Pivac regularly gets down and dirty to take a close look at them.
"They" are black mudfish, of the freshwater fish species galaxiids, and one of the few places they inhabit in Northland is the Hikurangi Swamp, particularly theWairua Reserve area which is "a hotspot" for them, Ms Pivac said.
The third year Bachelor of Applied Science student, majoring in biodiversity management, is possibly the only person in New Zealand studying black mudfish and their environment.
"No one really cares about mudfish . . . yet," Ms Pivac said.
She hopes her research will cast light on the "discreet fish" and threats to its existence.
"Populations are definitely declining. What we're mainly interested in is the effect on them of wetland loss and degradation. The point of this study is to look at the management of the habitat," she said.
"The ultimate aim is to determine the state of the wetlands."
The Hikurangi Swamp's management will be the subject of an event next Monday, World Wetlands Day , that will recognise the Department of Conservation and Fonterra joint programme, Living Waters - a 10-year programme to improve water quality in the Hikurangi catchment. Living Waters also involves dairy farmers, Nga Kaitiaki O Nga Wai Maori, the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group, Whangarei District Council, Northland Regional Council and other stakeholders.
