Yellow-eyed mullet, (Aldrichetta forsteri), or awa of the Maoris, is a smaller and more slender fish, silvery and with a bright-yellow iris of the eye. It is extremely abundant in shallow waters in harbours and represents the main catch whenever a bait net is drawn. They range from 7 to 12 in. in length and are usually erroneously referred to as herrings.

by Arthur William Baden Powell, Assistant Director, Auckland Institute and Museum.