Did you know that wild goldfish live in the Rotorua lakes, and they are designated a taonga species by iwi?
Fish Futures’ Marc Tadaki, Sabrina Davis, Nicole Hunt and Soweeta Fort-D’Ath investigated the whakapapa of cultural connection with wild goldfish, which are called morihana in Te Arawa rohe. Some whānau knew some of the stories, but as this knowledge is diffusing over time, kaimahi at Te Arawa Lakes Trust suggested we document some of these stories through a collaborative project.
To provide wider historical and ecological context, they also trawled through Papers Past (archive of old NZ newspapers) and synthesized scientific research on the introduction, movement, and biology of wild goldfish in Aotearoa.
The story of morihana is fascinating and worth learning about. We hope that their report can help strengthen cultural memory and inform future decision making about the lakes. The research is also a neat example of social science supporting bicultural environmental governance 😊🐟.
A study of the cultural values of wild goldfish (Carassius auratus)in Te Arawa Lakes
