Good news Alert - kākahi found in the Hangaroa River.

Weka Guardians Community Catchment Group recently completed some eDNZ Sampling with the help of funding from LFTL, and we were stoked to see that alongside the sampling, was the discovery of kākahi ( freshwater mussels ), check out the cool photo!

Kākahi are special for a few reasons.

As a bioindicator for healthy ecosystems, juveniles live in the sediment of streams for 4-5 years before emerging, and require good quality water to survive.

They can grow up to 13 cm in length and on average live from 12-30 years, with some records of them growing to 60 years old ( GoldCard status! )

Just like a tree has rings that tell us how old they are, you can tell the age of kākahi by counting the bands produced in their shell - try counting the rings of each in the photo and comment your estimates below!

Each mussel can filter a litre of water per hour and have a strong foot that they use to “walk” making it possible to see the tracks of their wanderings on the lake or in a streambed.

Valued as a mahinga kai species, Kākahi were a reliable source of food for Māori – especially in winter – as they don’t move very far.

Thanks for the update Weka Guardians, we love your mahi!