Larval fish sampling

This involved putting a net down at 8pm and 8am a few hours after low tide to see what species of larval fish are in the harbour.  The student I assisted has been working on this for over a year now and it is important research as this type of survey has never been conducted in the Tauranga Harbour before!

This new knowledge will help us better understand human impact and help us identify nursery habitats which need protecting.  (NoS Understanding about science, Appreciate that science is a way of explaining the world and that science knowledge changes over time, identify ways in which scientists work together and provide evidence to support their ideas)

 

Once the net was up, the catch was tipped into blue trays and gone through carefully with tweezers to extract the larvae from the seaweed and other things that were trapped in the net.  Both the blue trays and keeping an eye out for the eyes were helpful strategies when identifying the larval fish from other matter.

 
These samples were then placed under the microscope to be identified using specific identification guides if need be.  The numbers of species found and types of species will be recorded in a spread sheet as are factors such as water flow, tide, temperature etc. 
 
While the microscope and samples were out I was able to observe a larval flounder and the transition of its eye moving to be on the top if its head!  How interesting!


 
The image below is similar to what I saw in the microscope...