Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

DoC pulls catfish from Lake Rotopiko in pest control programme

Te Awamutu Courier
27 May, 2020 11:00 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

From left, Mark Lammas, Jess Roeger and Nigel Binks on Lake Rotopiko this week, where they have been netting pest fish as DOC operational staff return to field work. Photo / Jeff Neems

From left, Mark Lammas, Jess Roeger and Nigel Binks on Lake Rotopiko this week, where they have been netting pest fish as DOC operational staff return to field work. Photo / Jeff Neems

More than 300 catfish were pulled from Lake Rotopiko in just two days when Department of Conservation staff returned to the field after Covid-19.

Since getting back out to work the rangers have been focusing on netting pest fish across the peat lakes throughout the Waikato.

Hamilton-based rangers Mark Lammas and Jess Roeger, and Biodiversity Senior Ranger Nigel Binks pulled out catfish, rudd and goldfish from the Ohaupo lake using set nets.

They have 33 nets spaced 20 metres apart across the whole lake.

"It's great to be back out in the field," says Lammas.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Everyone has been pretty eager for a change of scenery and some pest fish work
definitely ticks that box," added Binks.

He says that the biomass of the catfish coupled with the sheer space they take up in the lake is of particular concern because of their ability to churn up sediment, harming aquatic plants and impacting on native species habitats.

Pest fish collected from the lakes are euthanised and turned into pet food or fertiliser.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Netting pest fish was originally supposed to happen in March but the Covid-19 lockdown meant this had to be postponed.

The work aims to regenerate and restore the peat lake environments. DOC is just one of several agencies involved in the restoration; other agencies include the National Wetland Trust, New Zealand Landcare Trust and Waikato Regional Council.

"The greatest satisfaction is actually pulling up a net and there's no fish in it at all," says Lammas.

Details of hauls will be closely recorded so data such as size the number of specimens caught can be analysed.

Discover more

Untold stories of Waipā's history shared

09 Dec 08:00 PM

Volunteers restore native birdlife to Mt Pirongia

26 Dec 10:14 PM

Parks and reserve maintenance resumes

01 May 01:53 AM

Signboards offer locals a look at plans for Cambridge lake

27 May 12:00 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Waikato News

Sport

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France

Waikato Herald

Mum killed in Waiuku crash leaves behind three children, including newborn

Waikato Herald

'Moving quite quickly': Fresh bout of wild weather to sweep across top of North Island


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Waikato News

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France
Sport

All Blacks team naming: 10 changes to side to face France

Scott Robertson said there was a healthy edge in the camp this week

16 Jul 11:52 PM
Mum killed in Waiuku crash leaves behind three children, including newborn
Waikato Herald

Mum killed in Waiuku crash leaves behind three children, including newborn

16 Jul 09:00 PM
'Moving quite quickly': Fresh bout of wild weather to sweep across top of North Island
Waikato Herald

'Moving quite quickly': Fresh bout of wild weather to sweep across top of North Island

16 Jul 09:13 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP