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Tagged juvenile tarakihi to teach us about nursery habitats

NIWA Media Release 31 March 2011

Tagged juvenile tarakihi to teach us about nursery habitats

During late March and April, NIWA fisheries scientists will be tagging hundreds of juvenile tarakihi in Tasman and Golden Bays, in an effort to learn more about their nursery habits and habitat.

Tarakihi are highly regarded by both commercial and recreational fishermen in New Zealand. They are caught around all coasts of New Zealand, with catches increasing from February to June.

Previous research surveys by NIWA found large numbers of juvenile tarakihi in Tasman and Golden Bays, suggesting the area may be important for recruiting West Coast tarakihi stocks.

“We’ve been looking at abundance of various species in this area for nearly two decades now. Previous surveys tell us there are large numbers of young tarakihi in Tasman and Golden Bays, suggesting this might be a primary nursery area for West Coast tarakihi. By tagging the fish, we can more accurately assess where they go and what habitats they like,” says fisheries technician Michael Stevenson.

Since the tagging programme began in 2007 NIWA has tagged and released more than 1,400 tarakihi back into the area.

Many of the young fish will now be nearing legal catch size and recreational fishers are asked to assist the research team by returning tags to NIWA.

“If you find a tagged tarakihi we urge you to send it in, along with any details about the place of capture and size of the fish. This provides us with really important information about the movements of these young fish, helping us to look after their habitat to ensure West Coast stocks remain healthy.”

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The tagging is part of a 26-day research voyage onboard NIWA’s research vessel Kaharoa.

During the voyage, crew and scientists are undertaking a trawl survey to assess the abundance and distribution of some of New Zealand’s most important inshore commercial species, including red cod, red gurnard, stargazers, spiny dogfish and tarakihi. Trawls will take place at depths ranging from 20 to 400 metres.

Since 1992, trawl surveys have been conducted every one to three years along the west coast of the South Island and in Tasman and Golden Bay. This is the tenth survey.
Research on the voyage is funded by the Ministry of Fisheries.

Fast facts about tarakihi:
Scientific name: Nemadactylus macropterus.
Tarakihi are silver-grey with a blue-green sheen, shading to silver and white on the belly. They have a distinctive black band between the head and the dorsal fin.
They have medium to firm white flesh, suitable for most cooking methods.
They can grow up to 60 centimetres in length, weigh up to 6 kilograms, and live for more than 40 years.
Tarakihi are common around New Zealand coasts year-round.

What to do if you find a tagged tarakihi:
If you find a tagged tarakihi and release it alive, please let NIWA know the tag number, place of capture, and length of the fish.
If you keep the fish, send us the tag along with details about the place of capture, and length of the fish.
The return address for tags is:

NIWA Tarakihi Tagging Programme
Private Bag 14901, Kilbirnie
Wellington 6241.

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