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Fish

Latest news

Scientists hoping to solve great eel mystery

16 May 2019

NIWA freshwater scientists are pinning their hopes of solving an age-old mystery on 10 female longfin eels who are about to begin an epic journey to their spawning grounds somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

Freshwater fish swim their all for science

Media Release

26 March 2019

In a secret training location on the outskirts of Hamilton, a squad of whitebait is being put through its paces by fish scientists.

The eel earbone detective

Feature story

9 January 2019

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.

Underwater magician

Feature story

28 December 2018

Based at Bream Bay, Whangarei, Crispin Middleton is also an acclaimed underwater photographer and the recipient of numerous photography awards. His work regularly appears in New Zealand Geographic, dive magazines, scientific journals and conservation/ government documents.

Our work

New Zealand fish passage guidelines

The New Zealand Fish Passage Guidelines sets out recommended practice for the design of instream infrastructure to provide for fish passage.

Historical changes in juvenile fish habitats

NIWA is looking for people who have had a long association with the Hauraki Gulf or Marlborough Sounds to help them with a research project on juvenile fish habitats.

Cultural Keystone Species - co-management and restoration of our freshwater taonga species

Māori communities around the country note that the abundance, size and/or distribution of tuna, kōura and kāeo/kākahi is declining and that current populations aren’t sufficient to meet their needs.

Improving Tonga’s deepwater demersal line fishery

NIWA is in its third year of a 5-year phased project on the deepwater line fishery in Tonga funded by the NZ Aid Programme’s Partnership for International Development Fund. The aim of the project is to deliver the improved governance, management, and economic and biological sustainability of the fishery focusing on deepwater snapper and bluenose in the Tonga EEZ.

Latest videos

Freshwater fish swim their all for science

The tiny inanga have been plucked from Waikato streams and held in a darkened laboratory for the last month, undertaking highly advanced testing to find the strongest, fittest and fastest fish.

Ocean acidification—what is it?

The on-going rise of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere is not only changing our climate—it is also changing our oceans. Take a look at the work of the NIWA-led CARIM project into what these changes may mean for the delicate balance of marine life.

Exploring the deepsea

Despite many centuries of maritime exploration, only a fraction of our planet's seafloor has been observed. NIWA Deepsea Scientist Di Tracey tells us what it feels like to probe deep beneath the waves to see what's living on the ocean floor.

Mesopelagic trawl from the RV Tangaroa October 2016 Kermadec Voyage

Mesopelagic trawl - off Kermadec Islands Oct 2016

Using a very wide net to complete a 960m deep mesopelagic trawl near the Kermadec Islands has brought up a large number and diverse range of deep water species.

Underwater magician

Feature story

28 December 2018

Scientists look to solve the longfin eel's breeding ground mystery

NIWA freshwater scientists are pinning their hopes of solving an age-old mystery on 10 female longfin eels who have now begun an epic journey to their spawning grounds somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.

The eels, which live for about 60 years but can get to as old as 100, were caught in the Waikato River and fitted with the tags at Te Kauwhata last month. Eels develop a blue ring around the eye immediately before their migration begins, making it easier to sort the emigrants from the stayers.

Freshwater Update 81, June 2019

Freshwater Update 81 brings you the latest information from our Freshwater & Estuaries Centre, with articles ranging from how NIWA scientists are solving the longfin eel migration mystery, how we're taking you diving with us at Fieldays, and a word from one of the editors of the new Lakes Restoration Handbook.

Scientists hoping to solve great eel mystery

Media Release

16 May 2019

Young snapper raised in seagrass nurseries show stronger growth

NIWA research has found that seagrass nurseries have a significant role in the growth and condition of juvenile snapper.

Technical Workshop - Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS) for fish production

23 May 2019 to 25 May 2019

NIWA is hosting a two day workshop and one day field trip on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems.

Freshwater fish swim their all for science

The tiny inanga have been plucked from Waikato streams and held in a darkened laboratory for the last month, undertaking highly advanced testing to find the strongest, fittest and fastest fish.

Freshwater fish swim their all for science

Media Release

26 March 2019

In a secret training location on the outskirts of Hamilton, a squad of whitebait is being put through its paces by fish scientists.

Glass eel ear bones could reveal migration patterns

The ear bones of tiny eels might hold clues to their largely secret life.

Ocean acidification—what is it?

Voyage Update 5: sampling rattails and exploring vulnerable coral habitats in the MPA

3 February 2019. By Voyage Leader Dr Richard O'Driscoll.

Voyage Update 4: Toothfish habitat in and out of the MPA

29 January 2019. By Voyage Leader Dr Richard O'Driscoll.

NZ Freshwater Fish Database

The New Zealand Freshwater Fish Database (NZFFD) records the occurrence of fish in fresh waters of New Zealand.

Ross Sea Region Research and Monitoring Programme

The Ross Sea Region Research and Monitoring Programme (Ross-RAMP) is a five-year research programme funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and run by NIWA to evaluate the effectiveness of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area.

The eel earbone detective

Feature story

9 January 2019

Fish Passage Assessment Tool

The Fish Passage Assessment Tool has been developed to provide an easy to use, practical tool for recording instream structures and assessing their likely impact on fish movements and river connectivity.

Satellite Data Services

NIWA provides live satellite data for sea surface temperature and chlorophyll analysis for use by New Zealand's fishing industry.

Scientists spy on baby snapper in Hauraki Gulf

6 November 2018

NIWA researchers are out on the Hauraki Gulf this week to find out more about the nurseries of young snapper.

Migratory fish get helping hand

Feature story

3 September 2018

Humans don't always make it easy on fish to get where they are going. New Zealand's first national set of Fish Passage Guidelines – co-developed by NIWA - is expected to help.

NIWA undertakes an ambitious, complex seabed experiment

Media Release

7 May 2018

One of the most challenging scientific underwater experiments ever attempted by NIWA is taking place this month on the Chatham Rise.

Improving Tonga’s deepwater demersal line fishery

New Zealand fish passage guidelines

The New Zealand Fish Passage Guidelines sets out recommended practice for the design of instream infrastructure to provide for fish passage.

Blog: The inhabitants of the twilight zone of the open-ocean - 15 March

15 March 2018

Think about a futuristic world where at night time, people use different kind of self-propelled vehicles to hover across cities, illuminating the skies with different colours and shapes, while transiting around them.

NIWA expertise contributes to healthy hoki fishery

Media Release

28 February 2018

When NIWA fisheries scientist Richard O’Driscoll went to sea earlier this year, he and his team measured so many fish that laid end to end, they would have stretched for 31km.

Scientists send snapper to boot camp

Media Release

19 February 2018

At a laboratory just outside Whangarei, scientists are putting very young snapper through comprehensive physical testing - including a full medical check-up involving smell, hearing, vision, and even anxiety testing.