Water extraction poses the primary threat to survival. Irrigation schemes divert spring flows that sustain Canterbury mudfish habitat. Groundwater pumping lowers water tables affecting spring discharge rates. Habitat modification from agricultural development compounds pressure on remaining populations. Rain falls rarely on the Canterbury Plains. The land is dry and flat, stretched between mountains and sea. Yet beneath the surface, water flows constantly. Springs emerge from gravel aquifers, feeding streams that run year-round regardless of rainfall. In these spring-fed waters lives the Canterbury mudfish, a species uniquely adapted to permanent water but unable to survive drought. Unlike its relatives the brown and black mudfish, the Canterbury mudfish cannot burrow into mud and wait out dry periods. It requires constant water flow. This dependency makes it vulnerable to any alteration of spring systems. When irrigation schemes divert water or groundwater pumping lowers aquifer levels, the springs weaken or disappear. The mudfish has nowhere to go. The Canterbury mudfish reaches about 120 millimetres in length. Its body is cylindrical and elongated, coloured brownish-grey with irregular darker markings. It lacks pelvic fins like other mudfish species. The streamlined shape allows navigation through dense aquatic vegetation in spring-fed streams. Kōwaro. The Māori name applies to mudfish generally. Early Māori likely encountered Canterbury mudfish in spring-fed wetlands before European settlement transformed the plains. However the species restricted distribution meant it was probably less significant as a food source compared to more abundant eels and whitebait species in larger rivers. Spawning occurs in spring and summer. Eggs are laid amongst submerged vegetation in shallow water. The larvae hatch and remain in freshwater completing their entire life cycle without marine migration. Diet consists of aquatic insects and small crustaceans. The fish feeds on drifting prey caught in current or picked from vegetation surfaces. Classified as Nationally Critical the Canterbury mudfish faces an uncertain future. Its distribution is extremely limited confined to few spring-fed systems in the Canterbury Plains. Each remaining population represents a genetic reservoir potentially vital for species survival. Conservation efforts focus on protecting spring sources from extraction and maintaining adequate flow regimes. But the demands of agriculture are immense. The plains feed the nation. The mudfish requires only clean flowing water. Reconciling these needs determines whether the Canterbury mudfish persists or joins the list of New Zealand's extinct freshwater fish.