Fish

Latest news

Research finds microplastics in fish muscle tissue

18 March 2021

Some of the first research into how microplastics are affecting New Zealand fish species has revealed that microplastic fragments can find their way through the gut lining and into muscle tissue.

Queen of the critters

Feature story

11 February 2021

Sadie Mills has come a long way from scaring the inhabitants of Scottish rock pools. Sarah Fraser explains.

Oceanic shark numbers decline amid research gaps

Media Release

3 February 2021

A lack of information about New Zealand oceanic shark populations is making it difficult to assess how well they are doing, says a NIWA researcher.

How does a fish climb a ramp? Very, very cleverly…

Feature story

18 January 2021

New Zealand’s native fish are doing their best to climb up ramps in a NIWA laboratory so scientists can learn how to better help them navigate our tricky waterways.

Our work

Ecosystem influences on snapper

NIWA has a number of projects that are allowing us to better understand the interaction between snapper and their environment over their life cycle.

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.

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.

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.

Latest videos

The world's most mysterious fish

A video about The world's most mysterious fish. NIWA researchers are working with iwi to try to unlock the secrets of New Zealand tuna—freshwater eels. Every year tiny, glass eels wash in on the tide at river mouths along our coast. But where do they come from and how do they get there?

Science on the high seas

Sustainable fisheries depend on good scientific data about fish stocks. NIWA scientists head out into Cook Strait on Research Vessel Kaharoa to survey the hoki fishery and advise officials on catch rates.

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.

Stocking fish

If the low abundance of fish in your stream is not related to a reduction in habitat, waterquality, flow or the presence of downstream barriers, it might be due to the inability of juvenile fish to enter the stream.

Restoring fish passage

The movements of many juvenile native fish are often hindered by barriers to fish passage such as dams, weirs, falls, tide gates, culverts, screens and high water velocities. The New Zealand Fish Passage Guidelines sets out recommended practice for the design of instream infrastructure to provide for fish passage.

Where will the young fish play?

Seagrass meadows provide vital habitat for juvenile fish, but are disappearing at an alarming rate in many places. NIWA scientists are finding out more about the role seagrass plays in the life of young fish.

Stay at home snapper

8 March 2011

NIWA studies reveal that different movement and behaviours exist within snapper stock – some snapper stay at home, while some range for hundreds of kilometres. Our studies also show that marine reserves may well be affecting the behaviour of fish that inhabit them.

NIWA creates designer homes for fish

28 January 2011

Seagrass meadows – vital nursery grounds for young fish – are vanishing at an alarming rate worldwide.

Summer Series 5: Cockles and Pipis, alive, alive-oh

21 January 2011

Over the long hot summer many kiwis will be digging deep in the sand for pipi. These yummy shellfish live buried in the sand and are free at the beach!

Summer Series 4: Lamprey – the vampire of the sea

20 January 2011

A shy, slimy, ancient fish, that looks like an eel but isn't. It has a circular sucker for a mouth, and feeds by rasping a hole in its victim's fishy-flesh.

Summer Series 2: Kahawai, the people’s fish

13 January 2011

Kahawai are an iconic species for recreational fishers. They are fantastic fighters and are found in most coastal waters, harbours, and estuaries around New Zealand, in both the North Island and South Island.

Summer Series 3: Slippery devils – longfin eels

28 December 2010

Lurking in the depths of freshwater waterways, all around New Zealand, longfin eels are the most common fish in our rivers. The native longfin eel, at up to 1.6 metres in length, is something to be in awe of, especially when there's a crowd of them – and they aren't the most attractive thing you've ever seen.

Identifying vulnerable invertebrates in toothfish bycatch

Information on vulnerable marine invertebrates caught as bycatch in the Ross Sea toothfish fishery is helping to assess the environmental impacts of the fishery. It also contributes to knowledge of vulnerable species distribution in Antarctic waters.

Upgraded research vessel

12 December 2010

The return of the upgraded RV Tangaroa represents a huge advancement for New Zealand science and exploration

NIWA today welcomed home RV Tangaroa, New Zealand’s only deepwater research vessel, after a $20 million dollar upgrade to enhance its ocean science and survey capabilities.

Frightening fishy finds

1 November 2010

NIWA looked deep – to almost 1840 metres – and found new-to-science fish, close to the seafloor. The ocean revealed specimens of some rarely seen, and some previously unknown, fishes from New Zealand waters.

Tools

The tools available for restoring native fish to streams depend on what is causing fish to decline.

Identifying the problem

Identifying the factors causing fish numbers to drop will allow you to determine which restoration tools you need to employ.

Good progress on selective breeding

NIWA is making good progress in developing elite broodstock of three new aquaculture species: kingfish, hāpuku, and pāua – the latter with industry partners OceanNZ Blue Ltd.

Benthic fauna thrives in fishing exclusion zone

Research has revealed key differences in seafloor communities and habitats inside and outside the Separation Point trawl fishing exclusion zone in Tasman Bay. These have important implications for valuable benthic fisheries in the area.

High Performance Aquaculture Broodstock - Progress Update August 2010

This programme runs until 2013. To date, we've achieved many key milestones towards developing elite kingfish, hāpuku, and pāua broodstock for the future aquaculture industry. These are summarised below.

High Value Aquaculture - Progress Update August 2010

The High Value Aquaculture Programme has made great progress on a number of fronts. Here, we summarise highlights for all four species: kingfish, hapuku, paua, and salmon.

Fine dining on hapuku

2 September 2010

NIWA has recently tested our cultured hapuku on a selection of high profile chefs as part of our development of new high value species for the New Zealand aquaculture industry. The fish was highly praised for its taste and versatility of use and shows potential to grace fine dining establishments in North America, Europe and Asia.

The return of the elusive giant kōkopu

20 August 2010

‘Whitebait’ tagged as part of a unique experiment have turned up. Earlier this year the giant kōkopu released into the Nukumea Stream in Orewa had disappeared, but when scientists returned in June the fish were back!

Scientists returned to the Nukumea Stream in Orewa in June, to investigate the trial release of giant kōkopu and found that they were back!

‘Do fish talk?’ and other important questions:

8 July 2010

A mysterious fish ‘language’ is being uncovered at a New Zealand marine reserve, leading to startling hypotheses about fish communication.
NZ Marine Sciences Society conference on the latest in marine research.

The long walk - assessing stream health in Waitakere

Walking the whole length of streams is slow and difficult, but by far the best way to learn about their environmental condition.

Early findings from kōkopu restoration trials

As part of work to restore galaxiids to urban streams, NIWA scientists have been monitoring the movement of giant and banded kōkopu.

Summer Series 10: Super snapper! Delicious!

29 April 2010

Snapper are New Zealand’s most prized fish; they are the fish fishermen love-to-love. They live in a wide range of habitats in New Zealand’s warmer coastal waters, around the North Island and the top of the South, and prefer depths of 5–60 metres. They grow to a decent size: up to 105 cm in length.

Summer Series 1: You might fall in love this summer, with a sea monster

29 April 2010

This summer, watch out when snorkelling around the New Zealand coastline, for our very own sea monster: Hippocampus abdominalis, the pot-bellied sea horse.