Download FAR 2025/26 Estimates of the total wetted-area commercially fished for eels in the South Island (2020 to 2023), and the proportion of longfin habitat fished

The aim of this project was to estimate the extent of the spatial area that was commercially fished for longfin and shortfin eels in the South Island from 2020 to 2023. For longfin only, this was compared to the previous estimate of all habitat to provide an update of the proportion of longfin habitat that is fished commercially. This provides an indication of the spatial fishing pressure that both longfin and shortfin eel species have experienced and can be used as a tool to assess the status or health of eel stocks.



From 2020 to 2023 there were 1851 eel fishing events of approximately 15 fyke nets set per event, from 21 fishers. About half of the eel fishing events were from lakes and half from rivers. Most fishing on rivers was from the riverbank where the target species was longfin, and most lake fishing was vessel-based where shortfin were targeted. Nearly three-quarters of longfin fishing events and half of shortfin events were in Southland, Otago, and Westland, with most of the remaining shortfin effort focused on Te Waihora (Lake Ellesmere) and Lake Brunner.



A total of 3714 unique river reaches (totalling approximately 2700 km) were fished over the four years. Half the river reaches were fished only once in the four years, with a fifth of the reaches fished more than four times. The total area fished for longfin in the South Island from 2020 to 2023 was 55.4 km2 and for shortfin was 42.7 km2. Of the total current longfin habitat in rivers, and in lakes accessible to longfin in the South Island, about 14% is currently fished. Compared to the previous estimate of the proportion of longfin habitat fished in 2016, the current estimate has declined by about 20% reflecting a substantial drop in fishing effort in recent years.