![]() ![]() Koi are widespread in Northland, Auckland and the Waikato River catchment downstream of Lake Arapuni. Recreational fishing is permitted, but all koi must be killed when caught. The commercial harvest of koi carp can take place from waters within the koi carp containment area but you will need approval. To help stop their spread, a containment area between Auckland and Hamilton was established in 1990. What’s being done to control koi carp Containment area – Auckland and Hamilton ![]() Under Section 26ZM of the Conservation Act 1987, any person who transfers or releases live aquatic life into any freshwater without prior approval commits an offence and is liable for a fine of up to $5,000. People who possess, control, rear, raise, hatch or consign Noxious Fish without authority are liable for a fine of $5,000 under the Freshwater Fisheries Regulations 1983. Penalties include a fine of up to $100,000 and/or imprisonment up to 5 years (Section 157 (1)). ![]() It is an offence to sell, breed or distribute any Unwanted Organism under Sections 52 and 53 of the Biosecurity Act 1993. They can also worsen river erosion by undermining banks as they feed. Koi carp cause habitat loss for plants, native fish, invertebrates and waterfowl. Aquatic plants are dislodged in the process and are unlikely to re-establish. They feed like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up everything and blowing out what isn’t wanted. Koi carp are opportunistic omnivores, eating a wide range of food, including insects, fish eggs, juvenile fish of other species and a diverse range of plants and other organic matter. When koi carp feed they stir up the bottom of ponds, lakes and rivers, muddying the water and destroying native plant and fish habitat. Isolated populations have been progressively discovered throughout the North Island. Wild stocks of koi carp were first found in the Waikato River in 1983, by which time they had likely established a breeding population and begun to spread naturally, during floods and accidentally or intentionally by people.įurther illegal introductions have occurred elsewhere, for coarse fishing (a traditional British pastime involving the catch and release of certain species including koi carp, rudd, perch and tench) and for ornamental purposes. This species is thought to have been imported into New Zealand accidentally in the 1960s as part of a goldfish consignment. Koi carp are an ornamental strain of the common carp ( Cyprinus carpio) native to Asia and Europe. ![]()
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