Prized catch for recreational fishers across the South Island. This fish takes three decades to grow old. It is a slow-growing creature that can live for thirty years in the rocky reefs it calls home. Its firm white flesh is excellent eating, making it a target for both shore and boat fishers. A fish that is worth the wait. The patience required is significant. It has a deep blue-grey body with a distinctive white lateral line. The body is deep and compressed, with a small head and a terminal mouth. The colour is a deep blue-grey on the back, fading to silver on the belly. The lateral line is white and highly visible. The fins are dusky. The scales are large and rough to the touch. Texture defines the experience. It is a browsing predator, plucking small crustaceans, worms and sea urchins from the rocks and kelp. It does not chase its prey. It moves slowly through the reef, picking at whatever it finds. Its small mouth is adapted for this style of feeding. Precision matters more than speed. The strategy is efficient. Growth is slow, taking many years to reach maturity. It can live for three decades, a long life for a reef fish. This slow pace of life makes it vulnerable to overfishing. A population that is depleted can take decades to recover. The biological clock ticks slowly. Recovery is not immediate. In the South Island, blue moki is a popular target for recreational fishers. They are caught from rocky shores and from boats, using baited hooks and lures. Size limits and bag limits are in place to prevent overfishing. Regulations attempt to balance desire with sustainability. The balance is delicate. To see one is to see a fish of the southern reefs. The southern reef is cold. The blue moki hovers in the current, blue-grey and white-lined, picking at the rocks. It has been here for twenty years. It will be here for ten more, if the hooks stay away. The threat is constant. It has been here for thousands of years. It will be here as long as the kelp forests remain. The dependency is total.