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Mud and sand intertidal flats are a dominant feature of many estuaries and harbours, and may comprize a significant component of the total estuarine habitat available to fish. Information on what fish utilize such habitats, and when, is sparse. Small fish usage of a medium sized tidal flat (∼1 by 1km) in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand has been quantified. Fish assemblages were sampled with respect to tide (high, low) and diurnal (night, day) phases, using beach seine and outrigger trawl (a form of push net). Catches were dominated by fish smaller than 100mm, and included juveniles of larger species, and adults of smaller species. For beach seine, low tide samples had substantially higher species diversity and abundance than high tide samples. In addition, low tide night samples had greater species diversity and abundance than low tide day samples. High tide samples varied little between day and night. Data …