Te Ika o Te Tau | Fish of the Year 2024 Winner Announcement
Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) was stoked to run the fourth annual Fish of the Year | Te Ika o te Tau 2024 campaign.
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Fish of the year
Te Ika o Te Tau 2024
Experiencing Marine Reserves' annual Fish of the Year | Te Ika o Te Tau competition aims to raise awareness for some of the issues our awesome ika face and teach people about the incredible biodiversity in our freshwater and marine environments. Voting has closed and Fish of the Year 2024 has been decided! See the winner announcement below!
Are you ready to discover some of Aotearoa's favourite Ika?
Meet the ocean voyagers, the camoflaguers, the freshwater migrants and more!
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The Fish
Anchovies | Kokowhawha | Engraulis australis
Anchovies are a common fish around the North Island of New Zealand. They are found in large schools on the surface of fish between 8-12cm in length. They are a bright silver colour with an iridescent blue/green back, helping them to counter shade against the light in the ocean. They huddle together in tightly packed schools to escape predators, with many eyes keeping a look out for predators. Anchovies are an important food source for many fish including kahawai, mackerel and kingfish. These dense schools are also predated on by dolphins, seabirds and gannets - with large multispecies foraging associations forming around large schools of anchovies.
Image credit: John Sear (iNaturalist).
Anchovies are being backed by Auckland Sea Kayaks and Waiheke Marine Project in 2024
Image credit: John Sear (iNaturalist).
Anchovies are being backed by Auckland Sea Kayaks and Waiheke Marine Project in 2024
Basking sharks | Reremai | Cetorhinus maximus
Once abundant in some waters around New Zealand, the basking shark, the second largest fish in the world, is now a rare species to spot. In the past, aggregations of hundreds of basking sharks could be found off the coast of Kaikoura and Bank's peninsula. Unlike their toothy cousins, these sharks are filter feeders, swimming through the water filter feeding zooplankton and crustaceans in the water column. They favour coastal reagions with high plankton abundance and productivity.
The major threats to basking sharks are directed fisheries and incidental bycatch in commercial and artisanal (traditional or small scale) fisheries. Basking sharks are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. This means it is illegal to hunt, kill or harm basking sharks within New Zealand’s Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nm limit around New Zealand).
Basking sharks are being backed by Auckland University Underwater Club in 2024!
The major threats to basking sharks are directed fisheries and incidental bycatch in commercial and artisanal (traditional or small scale) fisheries. Basking sharks are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. This means it is illegal to hunt, kill or harm basking sharks within New Zealand’s Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nm limit around New Zealand).
Basking sharks are being backed by Auckland University Underwater Club in 2024!
Manaia | Big-belly seahorse | Hippocampus abdominalis
Big-bellied seahorse | Manaia | Hippocampus abdominalis
Seahorses belong to the syngnathidae family, consisting of pipefishes, seahorses and seadragons! Big-bellied seahorses are the only seahorse species found around the New Zealand coastline and are one of the largest species in the world - growing up to 35cm! This seahorse is found among algae, seagrasses, and rocky reefs in shallow water and is attached to sponges and colonial hydroids in deeper areas. Seahorses are voracious feeders, eating mainly crustaceans, such as shrimp, and other small animals living among the seaweed, such as copepods and amphipods.
Male big bellied seahorses are super-dads, caring 300-700 young at a time in their pouch, caring for up to four broods in summer months.
Seahorses belong to the syngnathidae family, consisting of pipefishes, seahorses and seadragons! Big-bellied seahorses are the only seahorse species found around the New Zealand coastline and are one of the largest species in the world - growing up to 35cm! This seahorse is found among algae, seagrasses, and rocky reefs in shallow water and is attached to sponges and colonial hydroids in deeper areas. Seahorses are voracious feeders, eating mainly crustaceans, such as shrimp, and other small animals living among the seaweed, such as copepods and amphipods.
Male big bellied seahorses are super-dads, caring 300-700 young at a time in their pouch, caring for up to four broods in summer months.
Black angelfish | Mata | Parma alboscapularis
Black angelfish are encountered in shallow rock-reefs in north-east NZ and offshore islands and feed on algae, salp and fish-eggs. Males (black with white spot) are fierce defenders of nesting sites, clearing seaweed and small animals from boulders with females picking the most beautiful boulder to lay their sticky eggs. Juvenile black angelfish are easily distinguished from other fish by their yellow-brown with iridescent blue lines!
Blue Cod | Rāwaru | Parapercis colias
Blue cod are bottom-dwelling predators which are endemic to New Zealand and common in Southern wanters to depths of 150m. They eat crustaceans, small fish, kina, worms and shellfish. They change sex from female to male, with males generally larger than females, reaching lengths of 60cm. These males control a large territory which they actively maintain to keep free of males. These cod have thick lipped mouths with rotating eyes, they are inquisitive and often approach snorkelers and divers within marine protected areas. They are a blush green to blue-black with white towards the belly. Larger ones are usually greenish blue while smaller ones are blotchy with brown patches.
They have strong tips on their anal fins which provide support when they’re resting on the ocean floor.
They have strong tips on their anal fins which provide support when they’re resting on the ocean floor.
Black mudfish | hauhau/waikaka/kōwaro | Neochanna diversus
Mudfish are long, skinny fish from the galaxiidae family. These survivalists are a threatened endemic species which have the ability to survive during times when there is no surface water - dropping their metabolism and slowly absorbing oxygen through their skin. However, surviving these dry periods is very stressful, with mudfish being in poor condition and having lower breeding success after water returns. Mudfish are at risk of habitat modification and degradation, such as wetland drainage, land clearance and modification of streams and habitats. In an effort to restore populations, Auckland Zoo has been breeding black mudfish, which were once widespread in Waikato, Auckland and Northland before widespread loss of habitat. As part of their 'Wild Work', the Zoo hopes to release black mudfish to the wild to help restore these biologically fascinating creatures!
Image credit: Auckland Zoo, Spinoff Partner Article
Image credit: Auckland Zoo, Spinoff Partner Article
Butterfish | Mararī / Kōeaea | Odax Pullus
These kelp forest dwellers are found throughout New Zealand's rocky reefs and are endemic - only found in New Zealand. Butterfish are easily identified by their wavy mohawk of broad sweeping dorsal and anal fins which help them blend into the kelp around them. They are all born female, with the biggest and boldest females transitioning to become males and protect the harem and territory, existing in groups consisting of one male and several females. Females are brown-olive green whereas males are dark green to dark blue-black. Butterfish rely on healthy, balanced reefs with plenty of kelp, feeding mainly on brown algae like carpophyllum. As more of our rocky reefs decline in health and become kina barrens, butterfish habitats disappear. Butterfish are omnivorous, eating kelp and kelp-dwelling microorganisms. They are ~40 cm long, with males larger than females.
Blue-eyed triplefin | Ruanoho | Notoclinops segmentatus
Triplefin fishes are the most abundant of New Zealand’s shallow-water subtidal reef fish. The blue-eyed triplefin is endemic to New Zealand and is easily recognisable by its iridescent blue eyes and red bands. It is a small ~6cm long fish which can be found in rocky reefs on steep slopes and overhangs from Cape Reinga to the Stewart Island! During breeding season, the males become brighter and set up nests in small depressions on rock faces. The males will often guard eggs from several females - super dad! There are 27 endemic species of triplefins in New Zealand! We are the triplefin capital of the world, with ~⅙ of all triplefin species being only found in New Zealand.
Image credit: Paul Caiger
Image credit: Paul Caiger
Blue maomao | Scorpis violaceus
Blue maomao are schooling fish that stay close to the shore and inhabit rocky reefs to depths of 30m. When young, Blue Maomao are not blue yet but they are grey with a yellow anal fin. As they grow bigger, they become more blue and their anal fin loses its yellow colour. The young fish are found in very shallow water behind boulders and in crevices in the wave zone, often in company of young Sweep that look very much alike.
The iconic blue mao mao arch at the Poor Knights is a must-see destination for any kiwi thanks to the large schools of blue mao mao that congregate there, creating a magnificently bright blue wonderland, as the light floods in. Safety in numbers is key. Blue mao mao move in schools to make it harder for predators to pick them off.
Blue maomao are being backed by Te Rangi i Taiawhiaotia Trust Trust in 2024!
The iconic blue mao mao arch at the Poor Knights is a must-see destination for any kiwi thanks to the large schools of blue mao mao that congregate there, creating a magnificently bright blue wonderland, as the light floods in. Safety in numbers is key. Blue mao mao move in schools to make it harder for predators to pick them off.
Blue maomao are being backed by Te Rangi i Taiawhiaotia Trust Trust in 2024!
Common bully | Toitoi | Gobiomorphus cotidianus
The common bully, or toitoi, is endemic to New Zealand and found in a range of freshwater habitats. Of the seven bully species, the common bully is found all around Aotearoa. Sea-going populations occur in rivers and streams near the coast, whereas land-locked populations establish in lakes, becoming important prey species for trout and eels. They are well camouflaged against sand and rocks and can be seen darting through the shallows in the day. Common bullies are nest layers, with males guarding the nest until the eggs hatch. Larvae then go downstream to sea before returning to freshwater. Unlike bluegill, redfin and giant bullies, the common bully is not strictly diadromous (travels between salt water and fresh water as part of its life cycle) and can complete its life cycle without going to sea. They can grow to a large size, with some specimens reaching over 120mm.
Image credit:
Photographer - Ebrahim (Ebi) Hussain, Organisation - Aotearoa Lakes, Location - Lake Tomorata
The common bully is being backed by Aotearoa Lakes in 2024!
Image credit:
Photographer - Ebrahim (Ebi) Hussain, Organisation - Aotearoa Lakes, Location - Lake Tomorata
The common bully is being backed by Aotearoa Lakes in 2024!
Common triplefin | Kokopara | Forsterygion lapillum
Common triplefins come in a variety of colour patterns, but spot a distinctive longitudinal black stripe. They are often found in intertidal pools, sheltered harbours and mussel beds. They are abundant in the upper few meters of the water in coastal reefs that are not exposed to strong wave action. Males are fiercely defensive of their eggs, protecting them from predators. They are between 4-8cm, but larger specimens have been found in the South Island. Common triplefins are notably found around mussel farms and mussel beds, with the mussels creating a firm substrate for the triplefins and other creatures like gobies, spotties, whalks and octopuses to live amongst.
Common triplefin are being backed by Revive our Gulf in 2024!
Common triplefin are being backed by Revive our Gulf in 2024!
Crested weedfish | Cristiceps aurantiacus
The Crested Weedfish is a skilled cryptic predator that is native to New Zealand and Southeast Australia. It is incredibly camouflaged to look, and move, like a blade of kelp. From here, it ambushes its prey and hides from its predators. They can grow up to 200 mm long, are found in stands of kelp from low water to depths of about 55 metres and vary in colour, camouflaging with their surroundings.
Check out this amazing documentary on the crested weedfish!
The Weedfish short doc can be found by clicking the image.
Photo credit: Crispin Middleton (Seacology)
Check out this amazing documentary on the crested weedfish!
The Weedfish short doc can be found by clicking the image.
Photo credit: Crispin Middleton (Seacology)
Flounder | Pātiki tōtara | Rhombosalea plebeia
Sand flounder are native to New Zealand and found throughout the country in estuaries and shallow coastal water. They have a distinctive diamond-shaped belly and both eyes on one side of their head! Larval flounder start their life with eyes on each side of its head, with one eye slowly moving to the right side, allowing it to swim flat and lie on the ground. Adult flounder are adapted to feed best at night on sand or mud. They are ambush predators, going unnoticed by camouflage and then attacking their prey when it comes near using both touch and vision. They eat a variety of bottom-dwelling invertebrates such as crabs, brittle stars, shrimps, worms, whitebait, shellfish and tiny fish.
Goatfish | Āhuruhuru | Upeneichtys Lineatus
Goatfish are found in the Southwest Pacific, including New Zealand and Eastern Australia. They inhabit sheltered rocky reefs between depths of 5 to 60 metres. Goatfish often forage in small schools, using their feeler-like barbels beneath their chin to sense out their prey buried in the sand. Male goatfish will change colouration during the breeding season to a blue hue to appear more attractive to females. The males also establish territories during this time, fending off other males and focusing on courting females with their new colour display. Goatfish can also flash a brilliant red colour, thought to help parasites stand out to cleaner fish that can then assist with their removal.
Giant kōkopu | Galaxias argenteus
One of the five ‘whitebait’ species, giant kōkopu are the largest species of the Galaxiidae family, with some individuals recorded over 45 cm long! The largest fish have reached 58 cm, 2.7 kg, and up to 20 years old! They are not as adept at climbing as other whitebait, and typically inhabit coastal wetlands, lakes, and forest streams. You can find them lurking under logs, branches, or overhanging banks waiting to dart out and grab unsuspecting koura or terrestrial insects. Unfortunately, little is known about their reproduction or spawning habits. They are considered declining and at risk across Aotearoa, likely due to habitat degradation and whitebait fishing.
Image credit: Jay Farnsworth
Giant kōkopu are being backed by Auckland Zoo in 2024!
Image credit: Jay Farnsworth
Giant kōkopu are being backed by Auckland Zoo in 2024!
Great white shark | Mangō taniwha | Carcharodon carcharias
New Zealand is a global hotspot for white sharks, they are large and iconic marine predators which have been protected in New Zealand’s waters since April 2007. They are globally distributed and are long-distance migrants, making extensive return migrations along the continental shelves of the world’s oceans. White sharks are apex predators and play an important role in controlling populations of prey species. Males reach ~5.5m and females 7m, with their large size allowing them to feed on large prey such as marine mammals. A majoy threat to white sharks is unmanaged incidental catch and direct spot and trophy hunting. Indirect threats may also include the decline of important prey species due to overfishing, coastal productivity, habitat loss and pollution.
Great white sharks are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. This means it is illegal to hunt, kill or harm Great white sharks within New Zealand’s Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nm limit around New Zealand).
Image credit: Clinton Duffy
Great white sharks are protected under the Wildlife Act 1953. This means it is illegal to hunt, kill or harm Great white sharks within New Zealand’s Territorial Sea and Exclusive Economic Zone (200 nm limit around New Zealand).
Image credit: Clinton Duffy
Hāpuku | Polyprion oxygeneios
Hāpuku are most often found in depths between 50 and 850 metres on deep, rocky offshore reefs. Hāpuku are predators, feeding on a large range of other fish species, invertebrates and crustaceans, including red cod and blue cod, hoki, crabs and crayfish. Hāpuku are a large, slow growing, long-lived species, they can grow as large as 100 kg, but are usually found around the 25 kg mark.
“Hapuku is a classic example of overfishing. Few people realise that in the early half of last century hapuku were a common reef fish on our shallow coastal reefs. Now they are considered a deep water fish as they are extinct in diving depths, particularly in northern New Zealand. We may never know what their ecological role was on shallow reefs. I believe their biomass is probably less than 5% of its pre-fished state, and their TAC (Total Allowable Catch) should be reduced to zero,” The late Dr Roger Grace.
Hāpuku are being backed by NZReefs in 2024!
“Hapuku is a classic example of overfishing. Few people realise that in the early half of last century hapuku were a common reef fish on our shallow coastal reefs. Now they are considered a deep water fish as they are extinct in diving depths, particularly in northern New Zealand. We may never know what their ecological role was on shallow reefs. I believe their biomass is probably less than 5% of its pre-fished state, and their TAC (Total Allowable Catch) should be reduced to zero,” The late Dr Roger Grace.
Hāpuku are being backed by NZReefs in 2024!
Īnanga | Galaxias maculatus
The smallest of the galaxiid (whitebait) species, inanga, are native to New Zealand and are found all throughout the country in lakes, lowland rivers, streams and wetlands. Inanga begin life as eggs laid in vegetation beside streams in late summer and autumn. When the eggs hatch, they are carried downstream as larvae and spend the next six months at sea. In the spring they migrate upstream as whitebait and grow into adult fish. This diadromous lifestyle means they are threatened by both marine and freshwater issues including loss of spawning habitat, pest fish predation and migration barriers such as weirs and culverts.
Īnanga are being backed by Whitebait Connection in 2024!
Īnanga are being backed by Whitebait Connection in 2024!
John Dory | Kuparu | Zeus faber
John dory are a solitary predator that spend most of their life in the demersal zone (near the seabed). The John dory has a high laterally compressed olive-yellow body – its body is so thin it can hardly be seen from the front. The large eyes at the front of the head provide it with the binocular vision and depth perception it needs to catch prey. They have a dark false eye spot which confuses prey, which are then sucked into its mouth.The large spot in the middle of their body is believed to aid in scaring away would be predators by mimicking the appearance of an eye of a much larger fish.Their camouflage and stealth makes up for their lack of speed – once they have snuck up on their prey they engulf it with their large extendable mouths. John dory primarily eat smaller fish, especially schooling fish such as sardines and occasionally squid. They use muscles to drum on their swim bladder, making a low pitch grunting noise. They are 40-60cm long with long dorsal spines.
Lamprey | Piharau/kanakana | Geotria australis
Lampreys are ancient fishes which have existed for more than 360 million years. They are migratory fish, spending most of their lives at sea, moving to freshwater to spawn. Lampreys spend their juvenile life stages in freshwater and return to the sea for their adult life. While they can be mistaken for eels, they have a jawless mouth with a circular fleshy sucker lined with hundreds of small teeth and a rasping tongue. They have no fins near their head and have small holes which are the openings of their external gills. They hide during the day under logs and large rocks, venturing out at night to feed. Their populations are in decline due to habitat loss, reductions in water quality, predation from introduced dishes and instream structures blocking access from habitats upstream.
Image credit: Sjaan Bowie | Department of Conservation
Lamprey are being backed by Mountains to Sea Wellington in 2024!
Image credit: Sjaan Bowie | Department of Conservation
Lamprey are being backed by Mountains to Sea Wellington in 2024!
Leatherjacket | Kokiri | Meuschenia scaber
Found around NZ leatherjackets inhabit rocky reefs, feeding on encrusting sponges and molluscs on rocks and zooplankton in the water column. Their rough leathery skin helps to protect them from predators, and their sharp teeth allow them to scrape prey off the rocks. Leatherjackets are from the triggerfish family, using their retractable spine (trigger) which they can use as an extra defence against predators. They reach maturity at 18 cm and feed on soft comb jellies and salps when juvenile. They are found at depths of 20-200m. They have strong and incredibly sharp teeth, which allow them to scrape prey off the rocks.
Longfin eel | Tuna | Anguilla dieffenbachia
There are two main types of eels – the shortfin and the longfin. There are fewer eels today because of the loss of wetlands and historical commercial overfishing. They are migratory fishes starting their lives in the Pacific Ocean and travelling across the ocean back to New Zealand’s waterways to find suitable adult habitat in lakes and rivers where they live until they are ~25 years, they then undertake their migration back to the sea to spawn/breed and die. Long-finned eels are magnificent climbers, making their way well inland, climbing waterfalls and dams by leaving the water and wriggling over damp areas. In colour, longfins are usually dark brown to grey-black. Very occasionally, longfin eels found in the wild are partially or even wholly bright yellow in colour. They are easily mistaken for short-finned eels (Anguilla australis) which have a dorsal fin that extends only a little further than the anal fin. Longfin eels have a dorsal fin that extends a lot further forward than the anal (bottom) fin and have big loose wrinkles in their skin when bent.
Red pigfish | Paakurakura | Bodianus unimaculatus
Pigfish are a large distinctive red-striped fish that is a member of the wrasse family. They are found in rocky reef kelp forest habitats, often following divers and are easily befriended by feeding them a broken kina. Eastern pigfish are protogynous hermaphrodites, i.e. juveniles first develop female reproductive organs that may change into male reproductive organs in certain circumstances. The two sexes have distinct colour patterns, although occasionally fish are found with an intermediate colouration. Females are pinkish-red with distinctive dark stripes running the length of their body. Males, however, have a distinctive dark blotch on their dorsal fin and are are an overall pink colour with a lighter spot on their back. They have a large mouth and thick lips, allowing them to graze in the reefs, feeding on benthic invertebrates. Males are often larger than females, reaching 50cm and 30cm, respectively.
Porcupine fish | Kōpūtōtara | Allomycterus pilatus
Porcupine fish are a slow-moving fish found in rocky reefs at depths of 5 - 100m. They are common in northern NZ, less so in southern NZ and can be found in southern Australia. They feed mainly on molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms, using their fused teeth plate to crush hard shells. Like their cousins the pufferfish, they can ‘puff up’, and expand their bodies using water, up to 3 times their original size. This is only used as a last resort as it seriously decreases their manoeuvrability and increases their likelihood of capture by predators. Porcupine fish, along with pufferfish contain a neurotoxin called tetrodotoxin, which is produced by a symbiotic bacteria, as a defence against predators. This neurotoxin is at least 1200 times more potent than cyanide. This type of fish could be fatal if ingested but a dried-out carcass poses little or no risk if it was only touched. A second defence mechanism is provided by the sharp spines, which radiate outwards when the fish is inflated. They are uniquely shaped and are easily identifiable by their rugby ball body shape, awkward swimming style and outward-facing spines.
Redfin bully | Gobiomorphus huttoni
Redfin bullies occur in small boulder streams, foraging on mayflies, caddis flies and larvae. They are sensitive to the effects of siltation in streams and live near the coast due to their strictly diadromous lifestyle (migrating between freshwater and saltwater). Spawning occurs in freshwater, with larvae being swept out to sea after hatching. They are easily distinguished from other bullies as males have distinctive colourations, with bright red diagonal stripes present on their cheeks and fins. These stripes are visible
even in young/small bullies. They are found all around Aotearoa, including Chatham and Stewart Island but are rare along the South Island’s east coast.
even in young/small bullies. They are found all around Aotearoa, including Chatham and Stewart Island but are rare along the South Island’s east coast.
Voting has closed!
Pūteketeke? We'll take paketi thanks! Fish of the Year voting open
Experiencing Marine Reserve's annual Fish of the Year | Te Ika o te Tau competition aims to raise awareness for some of the issues our ika f
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Sponsorship in 2024
Thank you to our backers and sponsors for 2024! Want your logo here?
Contact us to sponsor a fish for Fish of the Year 2025!
Team Anchovy
Team Anchovy
Team Basking Shark
Team Common Bully
Common Triplefin
Team Giant Kōkopu
Team Hāpuku
Team Lamprey
Team Shortjaw Kōkopu
Team Tupere
Team Tāmure
Team Spotty
Team Spotted Stargazer
Team Trevally
Team Whale Shark
FOTY has been made possible through the generous contribution from the
Colouring in Competition
There are also prizes for the Fish of the Year colouring in competition, click the images to download a high resolution PDF. Which you can either print or colour in digitally.
Send us a photo of your colouring-in sheet to go in the draw to win some jaw-some Fish of the Year prizes!
Email competitions@emr.org.nz
Previous winners
Terms and conditions
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Each email is able to cast 1 votes - with 3 nominees per vote. Additional votes will be voided.
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For each nomination, you may only select one fish. If you select more than one. That nomination will be voided.
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You may nominate the same fish 3 times within one vote.
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The fish with the most votes will be declared the winner for 2024.
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