A review of radio and acoustic telemetry studies of freshwater fish in New Zealand

Radio and acoustic telemetry have been used in 24 studies of freshwater fish in New Zealand. Although most native species are too small to carry these tags, studies using telemetry have been carried out on four of the larger species, i.e. lampreys (Geotria australis), shortfin and longfin eels (Anguilla australis and A. dieffenbachii) and giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus). Among the introduced species, telemetry has been used to study movements of brown and rainbow trout (Salmo trutta and Oncorhynchus mykiss) in both rivers and lakes, chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) and bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus). To date, studies have almost exclusively been of short-term movements and seasonal migrations. Study objectives range from measuring microhabitats and home ranges to determining the extent of seasonal spawning migrations. The advent of progressively smaller tags will provide increased opportunities to use this technology on a wider range of fish species. Management implications of several studies are presented. Although biotelemetry studies have not yet been used in New Zealand, there are considerable opportunities for using such technology to increase understanding of fish energetics and also stress associated with catch-and-release practices in recreational fishing.