Waipa fish trap decommissioned for 2019
Channel: Department of Conservation
Date: 2019-12-08

The 2019 trout spawning season is at an end so we set about decommissioning the Waipa Spawning Trap for the year. Before the trap is removed we encourage previous spawned fish (known as kelts) to enter the downstream monitoring pen. This enables science staff to determine the proportion of fish that passed over the trap during flood events.

Located on the Waipa Stream, the Waipa spawning trap is positioned within a significant spawning tributary of the Tongariro River, 24 km upstream from Lake Taupo. Fishery Rangers record the numbers of trout, their sex, length, weight and iteroparity (how many times individual fish have spawned). From this data we also determine a Condition Factor, which reflects how much food has been available to the trout.

Find out more about the Waipa trap on our website - www.doc.govt.nz/fishtaupo