This study assessed the potential of the mud snail Amphibola crenata as a bioindicator of estuarine health. Multiple sites with varying contaminant inputs were identified within a small, shallow estuary (Avon‐Heathcote/Ihutai in the South Island of New Zealand). Population structures of field‐collected A. crenata were related to measurements of sediment trace metal profiles. Whole‐body soft tissue metal concentrations were sig...

Estuaries support a wide range of human activities and values, but are one of the most anthropogenically impacted ecosystems in the world. Ki uta ki tai is a holistic view of waterways that is embodied within Ngāi Tahu environmental management, which acknowledges the connectivity between environmental systems and people with the environment. While this philosophy is referred to within current policies, management does not effe...

Reproductive cycles of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg) from the Marlborough Sounds, New Zealand, were followed between June 1998 and January 2000. Histological examination of the gonad confirms an annual cycle with a winter inactive period followed by rapid gonad development and a single short spawning period. The population gonad index correlated with seawater temperature and changes in tissue dry weight, cond...

Mussels (Perna canaliculus) (Gmelin, 1791) collected from mid and low tide rocky platforms along the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand differed in dry weight condition index between shore levels. Mussel condition was c. 15% lower at mid tide level than the low tide level and there was greater variation between shore level than between sites. Feeding experiments were conducted at 15°C with mussels collected from mid...