One catfish was caught and a second one seen during weed harvester work at Te Weta Bay, Lake Rotoiti and is a "very disappointing" find, according to the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.
Last Wednesday a 26cm long catfish, thought to be the pest species known as brown bullhead catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus), was found in the lake.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council biosecurity manager Greg Corbett said the pest find was very disappointing.
"Catfish have become widespread in Waikato waterways, including Lake Taupo. We've done dive and net searches for catfish before in response to reported sightings in lakes Tarawera, Okareka and Rotoiti, but this is the first time a live catfish has been found in the Bay of Plenty. A dead one was found on the shoreline at Lake Rotoiti in 2009," he said.
Mr Corbett said together with Department of Conservation and Fish and Game, his staff will now search for more catfish so they could ascertain how widespread the problem was and explore feasible control options.