Lake Pokawa is a small, shallow wetland located about 9 miles (15 km) south of Hastings. The lake is a significant landmark for the hapu of Ngai Te Rangikoanaki, Te Huke people where they practice their cultural rights. The land was in the hapu before 1800. The land was previously used for commercial eel fishing, in the 1960s and 1970s. But Mitchell (1984) recommends banning commercial fishing. In 9196, a survey of the eel stock was conducted and indicated that the eels were in fair condition and that stock numbers were recovering (Jelly and Bonnett, 1996). Furthermore, although commercial fishing was prohibited, it was practiced informally. As a result, commercial fishing is prohibited. However, the local population; For the Tnagata whenua, they are allowed a quota of fish, to support their cultural rights (Jelly and Bonnett, 1996; Mitchell, 1984). For the Te Hueke hapu, the decline of eels from the lake, the resort to high depletion, is relevant to the cultural aspects of the people. The history of the lake is directly linked to the lake's eels and the mana of the Te Wheao chief (Hawkes Bay Regional Council, 1988). In turn, from the 2009 Hawkes Bay Regional Council (HBRIC) study, there are fewer juvenile eels than optimal eels in the lake. Habitat importance and continued access are of significant importance to sustaining the eel population. Furthermore, a minor drop in the water level would be detrimental. In the past there were problems relating to the stocking and control of eels. Between 1996 and 2001, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric (NIWA), Research Ltd, New Zealand, conducted a survey of eel stocks. Comparing the two surveys, NIWA recognized the average size......middle of the paper......cropping and fishing. 17 p.Barbrin, GP and Kreuger WH (1994). Behavior and swimming performance of American eel eels, Anguilla rostrata, in an experimental canal. Journal of Fish Biology 45, 111-121.Knights, B. (1982). Body size of farmed eels (Anguilla anguilla L.). in relation to the condition factor, sex classification and nutrition. Aquaculture Engineering 1, 297-310.Knights B., White e, & Naismith, I. A. (1996). Stock assessment of European eels, Anguilla Anguilla L. In: IG Cowx (ed.). Stock Assessment in Inland Fisheries, Oxford: Fishing News Book, pp. 413-446.Liew. P. (1982). Impact of eel scale on upstream eel migration. (Anguilla rostrata) population in the St. Lawrence River in Cornwall; 1974=78. In K. H. Loftus (Ed.), Proceedong of the 1980 North American Eel Conference. Ontario Fisheries Technical Report Series No. 4, pp 17-22.