Te Kūwaha and Māori

The majority of New Zealanders are able to recall a story about catching eels when they were children.

Tuna, or freshwater eels, are the most widespread freshwater fish in New Zealand. This 'living' educational resource summarises a large amount of scientific and technical literature.

The need to provide upstream passage facilities for ensuring the long term sustainability of migratory freshwater fish populations is now well recognised.

Tuna is a generic Māori word for freshwater eels. The word will be used interchangeably in this resource.

Tuna harvested from Lake Ōmāpere and Utakura River catchment have long comprised an important fishery for tangata whenua.

There are several ways to tell the three New Zealand eel species apart.

In comparison to the vast span of geological time, the estuaries that we see today are very recent coastal features.

Freshwater eels have an unusual life cycle which sees them travelling between the ocean, estuaries and freshwaters.

To prepare for changes in climate, our freshwater and oceans decision-makers need information on species vulnerability to climate change.

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

Longfin eels are the largest and longest-lived fish in New Zealand's freshwaters, and where they are present they are the top predator.

The sex of tuna is not determined genetically, as in some other organisms.