Understanding Kanakana
Stevie Blair releasing tagged kanakana.
While many people recognise kanakana as a taonga species, little is actually known about them including their spawning and migration habits.
“Kanakana have been around since before the dinosaurs – with fossil records from 450 million years ago – yet we still know very little about them,” says Dr Jane Kitson. “They migrate at night, are very difficult to monitor and are a nationally vulnerable threatened species that we are at risk of losing,“ she says.
The understanding to date is that adult kanakana migrate into Southland rivers from the ocean at this time of year. Then they remain in the rivers for around 15 months before they spawn.
Steph Blair, Waikawa whānau member and Tangata Tiaki, says that kanakana are intertwined in our whakapapa. “Kanakana feed our souls and keeps the memory of our Tupuna alive,” says Steph. “Kanakana are taonga and a kai that have fed our tīpuna for generations and we need to do everything we can to ensure we protect kanakana for future generations,” she says.
