Agriculture shapes a large share of New Zealand's landscape, which means a large portion of our freshwater fish habitat sits within pastoral catchments. From the tiny mudfish tucked into a small drain or wetland, to whitebait species running up from the sea each spring, to longfin eels that may have been in the same reach for decades, pastoral streams support a richer fish community than most people realise.
The 20 fact sheets on this page introduce the species you're most likely to encounter in pastoral catchments across Aotearoa. Each one is a two‑page snapshot covering:
- What it looks like — key features to help you tell it apart from lookalikes
- Where it lives — its national distribution and the sorts of habitats it prefers
- How it lives — life cycle, diet, and whether it needs access to the sea
- How you can help — practical actions that make pastoral streams better habitat, from fencing and planting to keeping fish passage clear.
