With such protection as a marine reserve offers and the natural biodiversity that the Poor Knights Islands have, the fish species seen here over the year is very impressive. Many of the species reside there all year around, whilst others will visit when food, currents and temperatures dictate.
Below are is a growing list of some of the fish we have seen and photographed since 2012. This page and the list of fishes will be added to as we find time to work on it and are lucky enough to see more species.
Sandager’s Wrasse
Coris sandeyeri
The dominant female wrasse will turn into a male when the male wrasse dies.
The male wrasse harrasses the females and this prevents them from becoming dominant and changing sex.
Scorpion Fish
Seahorse
Scarlett Wrasse
Sharp Nose Puffer
Short Tail Stingray
Silver Drummer
Snake Eel
Snapper
Red Snapper
Pagrus auratus
tāmure
Our New Zealand snapper are not infact part of the true snapper family as there are no true snapper in New Zealand. As theyr resembled snapper, the name was used to describe them and it stuck.
They are in fact a type of Sea Bream – Sparidae.
Snapper can grow to over 1 meter in length and live for over 60 years. Mature male snapper develop a bump on their heads.
Speckled Moray Eel
Speckled Triplefin
Splendid Perch
Sweep
Toadstool Groper
Trachypoma macracanthus
Trevally
Yaldwyn’s Triplefin
Yellow and Black Triplefin
Yellow Banded Perch
Yellow Moray Eel
Gymnothorax prasinus
Whaleshark
A very rare encounter, these summer visitors follow the warm plankton rich currents that pass close to the islands. They are usually spotted by the game fishers in the 200 metre + deep water at the back of the Poor Knights as they hunt for marlin and tuna.