World Fisheries Day

IT’S OF

FISH

AL!

World Fisheries Day is coming up — and something fishy is happening at Cook Island!

World Fisheries Day is marked every 21 November as a reminder that the world’s fisheries — and the habitats they depend on — are under increasing pressure.

So we’re getting offishially curious and heading into the water to discover what’s actually living on the reef.

Cook Island Aquatic Reserve is one of the most fish-diverse sites on the Northern NSW coast. Here, warm tropical currents meet cooler temperate waters, creating a remarkable mix of species on a single reef.

We’re hooked. Are you?

Join us in the water and explore the reef at Cook Island Aquatic Reserve. Look beneath ledges, around rocky outcrops and across the reef to see what you can discover.

1.DISCOVER

How many different fish can we find?

From tiny reef fish hiding among the rocks to larger visitors cruising through the reserve, every sighting is a discovery. You don’t need to know a wrasse from a wobbegong — just bring your curiosity.

2. DOCUMENT

Photograph the fish you encounter and help us record the diversity of life at Cook Island.

Your observations will contribute to the Cook Island Ecology Project and our growing Digital Atlas, helping create a long-term record of the species that call this reef home.

3. PLAY FISH BINGO

Think you can find them all?

For those who need a challenge, we’ll give you a Cook Island Fish Challenge Bingo Card featuring some of the sights you might encounter beneath the surface. Using the card, can you help us find and record: 

• A schooling fish
• Fish that gather hiding under ledges and rock crevices
• The most colourful fish
• A fish with a funny shape
• A fish with impressive teeth
• A tropical species
• A fish you’ve never seen before
• The biggest fish you encounter

4. CELEBRATE

Once we’re back on shore, we’ll head back to Salt & Stone Café to share our favourite sightings, compare photographs, have a cuppa and celebrate the discoveries of the day with our highly unofficial Cook Island Fish Awards.

🐟 DIVE IN. DISCOVER. DOCUMENT. HELP US COUNT THE FISH THAT CALL COOK ISLAND HOME.