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Story: Life in fresh water

Angler and brown trout

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Angler and brown trout

The brown trout was introduced to New Zealand waters in the late 1800s. It has colonised many New Zealand waterways south of the Coromandel Peninsula. An aggressive predator, in rivers it feeds mainly on invertebrates such as mayfly nymphs as they drift downstream. Brown trout are the basis of New Zealand’s most popular recreational freshwater fishery. Some rivers such as Southland’s Mataura have an international reputation.

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by Carl Walrond

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How to cite this page

Roger Young, Life in fresh water – Fish, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/11639/angler-and-brown-trout (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Roger Young, published 1 March 2009.