Story: Te hopu tuna – eeling

Utu piharau (lamprey weir)

Utu piharau (lamprey weir)

This diagram shows how piharau (lamprey) were caught using a weir. Piharau would swim upstream, staying close to the river bank. When they hit a fence jutting out from the bank, they would search for an opening to get upstream. As they tried to get through the gap, the sudden force of the current would sweep them into the weir.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Reference: Elsdon Best, Fishing methods and devices of the Maori. Wellington: Dominion Museum, 1929, p. 195

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How to cite this page:

Basil Keane, 'Te hopu tuna – eeling - Catching piharau – lampreys', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/diagram/13996/utu-piharau-lamprey-weir (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Basil Keane, published 24 Sep 2007