Fish of the Year raises awareness for conservation efforts
• March 19, 2026
A Northern Mudfish found by the Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust. Photo: Supplied.
The Northland mudfish has won Fish of the Year 2026, raising awareness around conservation efforts for the threatened species.
Since the competition began in 2021, it is the first freshwater fish to win the title, receiving 24.7 per cent of the 5896 votes.
The Northland mudfish joins the ranks of the whai repo/eagle ray (2021 and 2022), te whai rahi/oceanic manta ray (2023), paketi/spotty Ffsh (2024), and blobfish (2025).
The victory is largely due to support from the Northland Regional Council, which posted encouragement on social media.
The Northland mudfish is classified as a threatened species, as its wetland habitat has been largely drained - with only 10 per cent of Aotearoa’s historic wetlands remaining.
Northland Regional Council member Nick Bamford says raising awareness of the mudfish’s situation can help the conservation of remaining wetlands.
“[There’s] so many little mosaics of little remaining wetlands . . . [some] could hold populations of Northland mudfish.”
The Mountains to Sea Conservation Trust, which runs Fish of the Year, began a three-year initiative to accurately estimate the population of the Northern mudfish in June 2025.
Mountains to Sea member Konrad Kurta says they’re looking into putting up large all-weather signage at some key spawning habitats.
“That will hopefully stop people from: A, draining them, but B, plowing their bulldozers into them unknowingly.”
Kurta also says the Northland mudfish’s situation opens up further conversation around the way we treat our freshwater systems.
“That sort of thing is a microcosm of how we treat land and the ecosystems that were traditionally there but have since been superseded by farming, or even towns and cities.
“[The Northland mudfish] is quite a strong gateway to get into that sort of conversation because it is highly susceptible to land use impacts.”
Another Fish of the Year competitor, who hopes to raise awareness for a good cause, isn’t even a fish at all.
Kiwi ultramarathon swimmer Jono Ridler is currently swimming the length of Aotearoa’s East coast for a LiveOcean campaign against bottom trawling.
Jono Ridler is 73 days into his East Coast ocean swim. Photo: Supplied
He was added as an ‘honorary fish’ halfway through the competition, though he will not be eligible for the title.
Kiwis are allowed to vote for up to three competitors, so they were still able to nominate their favourite fish while showing support for Ridler.
Despite ending up in fifth place, the swimmer’s participation in the Fish of the Year competition has shone a light on his bottom trawling petition, encouraging kiwis to support his cause.
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AI was used to transcribe audio from the interview.
