Understanding Taonga Freshwater Fish Populations in Aotearoa-New Zealand

2017

We commissioned NIWA in 2017 to provide an updated environmental scan of freshwater fisheries in New Zealand. As part of this report, we also requested a review of current knowledge on species, including: tuna (freshwater eels), piharau/kanakana (lamprey), kōura/kēwai (freshwater crayfish), whitebait, porohe (smelt), kanae (mullet), pātiki mohoao (black flounder), and kākahi/kāeo (freshwater mussels). While most of these species are only found in Aotearoa-NZ – īnanga, kōaro, shortfin tuna and piharau/kanakana are found elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere.

In this report, we have drawn upon the available literature to discuss what is currently known about each species in terms of:

Understanding the life cycle of each species.
Aotearoa-NZ distribution.
State and trends in the relative abundance of populations (if known).
Threat status, as determined by two methods: New Zealand Threat Classification System and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
What we know about pressures on freshwater taonga species populations.
Who has responsibilities for managing the fish/fishery.