Freshwater fish

As a young child growing up on an Irish farm, one of Eimear Egan’s chores was to regularly clean out the well from where her family drew its drinking water. In the well lived a large eel that, no matter how many times it was shifted, just kept coming back.

Has a receding lower jaw and black spots behind the head.

Smelt have a distinctly forked tail and a strong cucumber smell.

NIWA is leading a new six-year research project that seeks to increase our understanding of piharau/kanakana/lamprey, using Mātauranga Māori, social science and biophysical science approaches.

Tuna are found in all sorts of habitats (places), including coastal estuaries, lakes, wetlands, rivers, mountain streams and even alpine tarns.

All species of freshwater tuna spawn at sea, although the spawning grounds of only four species are known with certainty worldwide.

More information about our online freshwater databases.

A list all of New Zealand's freshwater fish species.

We have prepared a breakdown of the different guidelines that are available for sampling freshwater fisheries. The overview provides links to key documents that explain what should be considered when designing fish monitoring studies and how to implement the various sampling techniques.

Learn how to use the New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database (NZFFD)

Banded kōkopu juveniles are very good climbers and will try to escape from buckets by clinging to and wriggling up the sides.