Barracuda
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Fish Tank
Forum Description: Discuss fish species here - ecology, ichthyology, biology, habitats etc
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=81705
Printed Date: 23 Jun 2026 at 10:22pm
Topic: Barracuda
Posted By: ThomasW
Subject: Barracuda
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2012 at 4:48pm
|
Do we get Barracuda in New Zealand waters? People often report catching them, but I suspect in the vast majority of cases the people actually caught Barracouta. So do we get them, or are they all just misidentified Barracouta ? |
Replies:
Posted By: Catchelot
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2012 at 4:50pm
|
We have Barracouta...in the tropics they have Barracuda...different animal although similiar looking and grow much bigger. ------------- "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2012 at 5:24pm
|
I thought because Mahi mahi and other sub tropical species (including a few sea snakes) drift down here over summer, a few Barracuda might also follow the warm currents down and get caught. |
Posted By: ThomasW
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2012 at 5:31pm
|
Suggests they might occur around Northland, http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Sphyraena-barracuda.html The 2050 predicted range is scary. |
Posted By: Lethal
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2012 at 5:52pm
|
the odd one have been seen by divers Thomas.... mainly around the Poor Knights... Wahoo have also be seen... i think a lot more have bitten a few lures off as well but we will never know... had a Amber Jack caught at Gt Barrier... ------------- Thanks for everything you did for us Eric. may you rest in peace, You were one of the real legends of NZ recreational fishing |
Posted By: Mullins
Date Posted: 22 Aug 2012 at 6:45pm
| They 'occurred' off the Mercs a couple of years ago if I recall. Well, one of them did anyway. It was spotted occurring along a patch of reef and photographed. Makes sense that we'd get the odd one down here. |
Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2012 at 7:31am
This one occured in Whangaroa Harbour.... until Wednesday last week.
  |
Posted By: Capt Asparagus
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2012 at 8:23am
Is that a barracuda, or a sea-pike. Forsters Sea pike I think they are? Different from the 'cuda...  tropical barracuda. |
Posted By: C A
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2012 at 10:07am
| shame we don't get them here, theyre bloody good eating. good topwater sport too |
Posted By: herby
Date Posted: 12 Nov 2012 at 3:20pm
| The fella from Te Papa was calling it a barracuda. |
Posted By: part-timer
Date Posted: 14 Nov 2012 at 9:52pm
|
Any more news on this Herby? I remember maybe 15 years back .. we had our boat at Tutukaka for the summer.. and we were moored next door to a very experienced former charter game skipper.. and he showed my bro and I these fish he had caught off the commercial wharf beside the marina fuel wharf .. at night I think.. I think he had them in his live bait tank.. cant remember exactly... but they looked just like that fish... they were maybe a touch smaller.. about 300mm long.. I remember clearly thinking at the time.. "what species are they".. they were clearly of a family of fish related to barracuda/barracuta. So maybe there is a species that lives down here.. seems strange that juvenile tropical barracuda would be in NZ estuaries though?? |
Posted By: Adam Scott
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2012 at 10:10am
|
Caught some of those while catching livebaits once in Whangaroa harbour, about 10years ago. Was told they were a Snook. Seems unlikely that they are Barracuda given the location all these were caught as opposed to the blue warm tropical water that cuda are.
Quick search on Snook came up with this(other name Sea Pike, Short finned Pike as Capt A said), could be it?
http://www.sea-ex.com/fishphotos/pike.htm" rel="nofollow - http://www.sea-ex.com/fishphotos/pike.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W96de0OF9Rw" rel="nofollow - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W96de0OF9Rw
|
Posted By: part-timer
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2012 at 6:49pm
I think the guy in my story above referred to them as sea pike too.. from memory  |
Posted By: part-timer
Date Posted: 15 Nov 2012 at 6:51pm
|
I think the guy in my story above referred to them as sea pike too.. from memory |
Posted By: Terrapin
Date Posted: 21 Nov 2012 at 12:10pm
| We do get barracuda in New Zealand though they are not often reported. I should start off by saying I am not an expert but in our collection at Te Papa we have around 20 specimens of what we are calling Sphyraena acutipinnis. These specimens have mainly been collected from in shore waters around the upper north island on the east coast as far south as the bay of plenty. The one Herby posted above is probably an example of one but it needs to be examined more carefully to confirm this. We also have a specimen of Sphyraena putnamae caught off the Coromandel and we have been shown a video of what perhaps is another species again. We would be very keen for any specimens caught. |