We are super excited to announce the winners of EMR's 2022 Te Ika o Te Tau competition! We had a whopping 781 submissions come in for fish of the year!
Our 2022 winner is once again the whai repo (eagle ray, Myliobatis tenuicaudatus) who took the lead with a huge 193 votes! In second place, a new addition for 2022, the endearing, endangered manaia (big bellied seahorse - Hippocampus abdominalis) who took out the runner-up spot with 145 votes! Coming in close third was our favourite freshwater friend - tuna (Long/short finned eel, Anguilla spp.) with 144 votes!
We are thrilled to see so much love for our endangered manaia and freshwater eels! Our runner-up, manaia, is New Zealand's only seahorse species, and are under threat from pollution and habitat degradation. But hope is not lost! With mussel and kelp restoration and the establishment of 'seahorse hotels' we can help protect our seahorse species by providing them with healthy habitats! You can find out more about our amazing manaia here! https://www.nzgeo.com/.../the-endearing-endangered-seahorse/
Thank you so much to everyone for your votes and we hope you learnt some fun facts along the way. We received some very cool ika suggestions for Te Ika o Te Tau 2023 so keep your eyes peeled for some cool critters coming in next year's competition! Who will steal whai repos spot for 2023? Prize winners will be announced on Thursday 7th April via facebook and email.
Many thanks to our supporters of Fish of the Year, Seaweek, Wilderlab NZ Ltd, Northland Regional Council, Wettie Spearfishing & Wetsuits and Charlie Thomas (Charlie's Art)!
