The Northland mudfish has completed a remarkable victory in Fish of the Year 2026, having first taken the lead with less than 24 hours left to run. It takes the crown from the blobfish, whose viral 2025 victory took the competition to an international audience. The mudfish prevailed despite vigorous campaigning from its competitors, with scales flying in schools, dive shops, and on airwaves and social media across the country. All up, 5896 New Zealanders cast their vote, a ne

Man re-writes rulebook as longfin eel and whale shark take the lead An unprecedented late entrant has shaken up New Zealand’s favourite aquatic popularity contest. Whale shark and longfin eel/tuna are neck and neck, with big-belly seahorse/manaia currently rounding out the top three on the Fish of the Year leaderboard. However, the registration of ‘honorary fish’ Jono Ridler has left some fellow contenders feeling salty. While ineligible for the overall crown, members of the

Fish of the Year is o-fish-ally back for 2025 and ready to make a splash, with Kiwis and conservation groups up and down the country...

Experiencing Marine Reserves (EMR) was stoked to run the fourth annual Fish of the Year | Te Ika o te Tau 2024 campaign.

Experiencing Marine Reserve's annual Fish of the Year | Te Ika o te Tau competition aims to raise awareness for some of the issues our ika f