The water quality in Lake Rotoiti is the best it has been in decades and this can only be good for fisheries, say experts from Fish & Game NZ, Niwa and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Council general manager of natural resource operations Warwick Murray said water-quality improvements were a result of interventions through the Rotorua Te Arawa Lakes programme, and that was great news for the community, the Crown and the programme.
"The Ohau diversion wall has been extremely successful in improving water quality. This, coupled with sewage reticulation, has meant we have reached the water-quality target for the lake," Mr Murray said.
"The wall was constructed in 2008 and diverts nutrient-rich waters from Lake Rotorua entering Lake Rototi. This is allowing us to see improvements in Lake Rotoiti now, and gives us the time needed to make the sustainable changes necessary to secure long-term water quality improvements.
"At the same time, we must make sure our interventions don't have any adverse effects on lake ecology or fisheries, and we have a fish-monitoring programme in place to monitor the long-term effects of the diversion wall on smelt, trout, koura and kakahi," Mr Murray said.