Photo: Supplied / Horizons Regional Council
The Manawatū-Whanganui Regional Council is on the hunt for fresh water mussels - and it wants your help.
Horizons staff check sites around the region each summer for kākahi, looking at a mixture of known habitats and places where kākahi may live.
But research associate fish passage and monitoring, Tui Wright, said there were many kākahi sites the council did not know about.
"We would be grateful to have the knowledge of local communities to help us find new populations of kākahi," she said.
"Kākahi prefer to live in sheltered areas of lakes, rivers and streams where the bed is soft bottomed. They often avoid streams with rocks or gravel beds.
"We often find them in undercut banks, as they provide a bit of protection. Kākahi live in areas with or without bank vegetation but do prefer some shade."
Rats predated on kākahi, which have an important role in the ecosystem, leaving shells behind which could be an indicator kākahi were living in the area, Wright said.
"Kākahi are an important indicator of water quality, as they filter their food out of the water and effectively provide a record of the quality of that water during their lifespan."
That record could be substantial as kākahi could live as long as 50 years.
Anyone with information on kākahi / freshwater mussel sites was asked to call Horizons on 0508 800 800 and ask for the fish passage team.