World Fish Migration Day Wairarapa Midweek

This article was published in the Wairarapa Midweek on May 13 2020 to mark World Fish Migration Day

Headline: Celebrating the longfin on World Fish Migration Day

By David Famularo

This Saturday is World Fish Migration Day, a global celebration to create awareness of open rivers and migratory fish.

The international day of events is coordinated by the World Fish Migration Foundation with the theme of connecting fish, rivers and people, although this year due to covid-19 it is being extended to include events up to October 24.

World Fish Migration Day is particularly relevant to Wairarapa as one of the greatest fish migrations in the world is taking place in our region right now.

Every autumn the elders of our eels (tuna) take one long, final journey out to sea to congregate and spawn in the South Pacific Ocean.

The hikoi starts in February when the smallest eels, the shortfin males start to leave, followed by the female shortfins in March.

Longfin males start their journey in April, followed by female longfin females three or four weeks later which continues until June.

The longfins [tuna kuwharuwharu], have been making this journey for millions of years.

One of the largest eels in the world and only found in New Zealand, anyone who has had the pleasure of a close encounter with them will have recognised that they are also highly intelligent.

To Maori, they are an ancient gift from the gods, with a special place in tribal histories.

In his excellent educational booklet ‘Tuna Kuwharuwharu - The Longfin Eel: Facts, threats and

how to help’, Wairarapa tuna expert Joseph Potangaroa tells how “the special place of tuna or the eel is maintained in Māori culture through the stories contained in tribal histories, with the creatures carved on meeting houses”.

He notes that “From the records of our ancestors we know that eels lived in abundant numbers throughout the waterways of the lower North Island. A landscape containing numerous swamps, lakes, streams and rivers proved to be an ideal home for eels, within which they thrived.”

The Wairarapa was particularly rich in the species, but today the longfin eel is classified by the Department of Conservation as “at risk, declining.”

This may be an optimistic outlook because of the nature of the life cycle of the species which sees baby eels [elvers] arriving in Wairarapa each spring and then making our whenua their home for the next 60 to 100 years.

With numbers low, every longfin in Wairarapa is precious and needs to be looked after, literally by generations of us, if they are to live long enough to make this journey one day.

Getting to know any longfin in your area and helping them survive is a great way to feel connected to our beautiful region and feel a sense of belonging to it.

By being a part of tuna’s lifecycle, we are participating in an annual event that is millions of years old. When we understand the species and endeavour to help it survive, we are also participating in restoring the mana of the longfin. And because it is at the apex of the food chain, whatever we do to help tuna also helps other species.

This is totally in harmony with the goal of World Fish Migration Day which is to reconnect us with our fish and our rivers.

Tuna Kuwharuwharu - The Longfin Eel: Facts, threats and how to help” is available online by doing a Google search.

Anyone with a passion for the longfin eel/tuna kuwharuwharu is welcome to join the Facebook group Eel Activists Wairarapa