title: Boat electrofishing survey of the Awaiti and Bancrofts canals (Tee Head Canal), Piako River system

authors: Hicks, Brendan J.

abstract: This purpose of this survey of Awaiti and Bancrofts canals was to establish the presence of fish in the canals and to determine their relative density and biomass by boat electrofishing. These canals drain the Kopuatai Peat Dome and adjacent farmland into Tee Head Canal, which is part of the Piako River system in the Waikato Region. Awaiti Canal had patches of the emergent macrophyte Eurasian reed sweet grass (Glyceria maxima) and floating common duckweed (Lemna minor). Bancrofts Canal had dense beds of reed sweet grass and water pepper (Persicaria hydropiper, syn. Polygonum hydropiper) that extended into the water along most of its margin to the extent that the bank was not visible. The water of both canals was tannin-stained, but Bancrofts Canal had heavier staining than Awaiti Canal.
We boat electrofished five sites in Awaiti Canal and five sites in Bancrofts Canal for 10 mins each on 21 February 2018. Water temperature was 24.3°C in Awaiti Canal and 23.1°C in Bancrofts Canal. In Awaiti Canal, ambient electrical conductivity was 313.5 µS cm⁻¹, specific conductivity was 317.6 µS cm⁻¹, and black disc distance was 0.18 m. In Bancrofts Canal, ambient conductivity was 174.3 µS cm⁻¹, and specific conductivity was 180.8 µS cm⁻¹.
We caught 31 fish in total, 28 in Awaiti Canal and 3 in Bancrofts Canal. Species included shortfin eels (Anguilla australis), inanga (Galaxias maculatus), goldfish (Carassius auratus), brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) and gambusia (Gambusia affinis). Two inanga at site 4 (Awaiti Canal) were retrieved dead on capture, as was the one eel retrieved in Bancrofts Canal.
Fish densities were very low, up to a maximum of 1.02 fish 100 m-2 for all species combined at site 3 in Awaiti Canal. Only gambusia were found alive in Bancrofts Canal. Biomass per site and areal biomass were similarly very low, and this was partly attributable to the small size of individuals, which suggested that, with the exception of gambusia, they were young, newly recruited fish.
Awaiti Canal had a low diversity of small fish species that are generally tolerant of poor water quality. This fish diversity is particularly low considering the close proximity of the sites to the coast (about 30 km from the Firth of Thames). The most diverse fish communities in New Zealand are found close to the coast. Typical mean eel densities in the Waikato River assessed by boat electrofishing were 0.7-1.3 eels 100 m⁻² compared to the mean of 0.12 fish 100 m⁻² (range of 0-0.29 eels 100 m⁻² ) at the five sites Awaiti Canal. Bancroft Canal had only gambusia, and the one shortfin eel found dead could have drifted in or died in the canal, probably as result of low DO concentrations.

text: Boat electrofishing survey of the Awaiti and Bancrofts canals (Tee Head Canal), Piako River system This purpose of this survey of Awaiti and Bancrofts canals was to establish the presence of fish in the canals and to determine their relative density and biomass by boat electrofishing. These canals drain the Kopuatai Peat Dome and adjacent farmland into Tee Head Canal, which is part of the Piako River system in the Waikato Region. Awaiti Canal had patches of the emergent macrophyte Eurasian reed sweet grass (Glyceria maxima) and floating common duckweed (Lemna minor). Bancrofts Canal had dense beds of reed sweet grass and water pepper (Persicaria hydropiper, syn. Polygonum hydropiper) that extended into the water along most of its margin to the extent that the bank was not visible. The water of both canals was tannin-stained, but Bancrofts Canal had heavier staining than Awaiti Canal.
We boat electrofished five sites in Awaiti Canal and five sites in Bancrofts Canal for 10 mins each on 21 February 2018. Water temperature was 24.3°C in Awaiti Canal and 23.1°C in Bancrofts Canal. In Awaiti Canal, ambient electrical conductivity was 313.5 µS cm⁻¹, specific conductivity was 317.6 µS cm⁻¹, and black disc distance was 0.18 m. In Bancrofts Canal, ambient conductivity was 174.3 µS cm⁻¹, and specific conductivity was 180.8 µS cm⁻¹.
We caught 31 fish in total, 28 in Awaiti Canal and 3 in Bancrofts Canal. Species included shortfin eels (Anguilla australis), inanga (Galaxias maculatus), goldfish (Carassius auratus), brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) and gambusia (Gambusia affinis). Two inanga at site 4 (Awaiti Canal) were retrieved dead on capture, as was the one eel retrieved in Bancrofts Canal.
Fish densities were very low, up to a maximum of 1.02 fish 100 m-2 for all species combined at site 3 in Awaiti Canal. Only gambusia were found alive in Bancrofts Canal. Biomass per site and areal biomass were similarly very low, and this was partly attributable to the small size of individuals, which suggested that, with the exception of gambusia, they were young, newly recruited fish.
Awaiti Canal had a low diversity of small fish species that are generally tolerant of poor water quality. This fish diversity is particularly low considering the close proximity of the sites to the coast (about 30 km from the Firth of Thames). The most diverse fish communities in New Zealand are found close to the coast. Typical mean eel densities in the Waikato River assessed by boat electrofishing were 0.7-1.3 eels 100 m⁻² compared to the mean of 0.12 fish 100 m⁻² (range of 0-0.29 eels 100 m⁻² ) at the five sites Awaiti Canal. Bancroft Canal had only gambusia, and the one shortfin eel found dead could have drifted in or died in the canal, probably as result of low DO concentrations.

year: 2018

title: Easing the Transition from Inspiration to Implementation: A Rapid Prototyping Platform for Wireless Medium Access Control Protocols

authors: Armstrong, Dean Andrew

subjects: wireless

abstract: Packet broadcast networks are in widespread use in modern wireless communication systems. Medium access control is a key functionality within such technologies.  A substantial research effort has been and continues to be invested into the study of existing protocols and the development of new and specialised ones.  Academic researchers are
restricted in their studies by an absence of suitable wireless MAC protocol development methods.

This thesis describes an environment which allows rapid prototyping and evaluation of wireless medium access control protocols.  The proposed design flow allows specification of the protocol using the specification and description language (SDL) formal description technique.  A tool is presented to convert the SDL protocol description into a C++ model suitable for integration into both simulation and implementation environments.

Simulations at various levels of abstraction are shown to be relevant at different stages of protocol design. Environments based on the
Cinderella SDL simulator and the ns-2 network simulator have been developed which allow early functional verification, along with detailed and accurate performance analysis of protocols under
development.

A hardware platform is presented which allows implementation of protocols with flexibility in the hardware/software trade-off. Measurement facilities are integral to the hardware framework, and provide a means for accurate real-world feedback on protocol performance.

text: Easing the Transition from Inspiration to Implementation: A Rapid Prototyping Platform for Wireless Medium Access Control Protocols Packet broadcast networks are in widespread use in modern wireless communication systems. Medium access control is a key functionality within such technologies.  A substantial research effort has been and continues to be invested into the study of existing protocols and the development of new and specialised ones.  Academic researchers are
restricted in their studies by an absence of suitable wireless MAC protocol development methods.

This thesis describes an environment which allows rapid prototyping and evaluation of wireless medium access control protocols.  The proposed design flow allows specification of the protocol using the specification and description language (SDL) formal description technique.  A tool is presented to convert the SDL protocol description into a C++ model suitable for integration into both simulation and implementation environments.

Simulations at various levels of abstraction are shown to be relevant at different stages of protocol design. Environments based on the
Cinderella SDL simulator and the ns-2 network simulator have been developed which allow early functional verification, along with detailed and accurate performance analysis of protocols under
development.

A hardware platform is presented which allows implementation of protocols with flexibility in the hardware/software trade-off. Measurement facilities are integral to the hardware framework, and provide a means for accurate real-world feedback on protocol performance.

year: 2007

title: Hostile shores: catastrophic events in prehistoric New Zealand and their impact on Maori coastal communities [Book Review]

authors: Lowe, David J.

abstract: This article reviews the book: “Hostile shores: catastrophic events in prehistoric New Zealand and their impact on Maori coastal communities”, by Bruct McFadgen.

text: Hostile shores: catastrophic events in prehistoric New Zealand and their impact on Maori coastal communities [Book Review] This article reviews the book: “Hostile shores: catastrophic events in prehistoric New Zealand and their impact on Maori coastal communities”, by Bruct McFadgen.

year: 2008