Pink maomao (Caprodon longimanus) tend to live below depths of 10 metres, especially in areas around islands and headlands swept by currents, where they school and feed on plankton and salps. At dusk they stop feeding and return to rocky areas where they settle in for the night. They grow to around 55 centimetres and are known to Māori as mata. They are found in the Kermadec Islands, the Three Kings Islands and around the northern North Island as far south as Hawke’s Bay. They are excellent eating.
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Private collection
Photograph by Malcolm Francis
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