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Native animals

Freshwater fish

In this section:

Facts
- Banded kokopu
- Bluegill bully
- Common bully
- Common smelt
- Dwarf galaxias
- Eel
- Giant bully
- Giant kokopu
- Inanga
- Koaro
- Lamprey
- Mudfish
- Other bullies
- Redfin bully
- Shortjawed kokopu
- Torrentfish

See also:

LEARNZ video: Finding fish

Did you know that half of our native fish species spend time at sea? In this section you'll learn more about some of New Zealand's 35 native fish species.

Banded kokopu

Juvenile banded kokopu also migrate upstream as whitebait and are often called Golden Bait by whitebaiters.

Bluegill bully

The bluegill bully is characterised by leopard-like spots on its cheeks and a distinctive blue gill membrane.

Common bully

These little fish like the gentle flows of slow moving streams.

Common smelt

Whitebaiters call smelt 'cucumber fish'.

Dwarf galaxias

Cryptic and solitary, dwarf galaxias resemble small koaro but are not part of the whitebait run.

Eel

Eels migrate up streams as elvers to find suitable adult habitat. After many years they return to the Pacific Ocean to breed and die.

Giant bully

A far more secretive and hard to spot bully is the giant bully.

Giant kokopu

Juveniles of this fish also migrate upstream as whitebait. The dark olive adult fish can grow to half a metre and are covered with intricate hieroglyphic like gold patterns.

Inanga

Juvenile inanga are the most dominant species in the whitebait run.

Koaro

Koaro juveniles are the second most abundant species in the whitebait fishery.

Lamprey

These fish look like slender eels with a sucker like mouth instead of jaws. They spawn in small bush streams.

Mudfish

Learn about New Zealand's five species of mudfish.

Other bullies

There are some bullies that don't migrate and are therefore more likely to be found upstream of an obstacle that blocks migrating fish.

Redfin bully

Redfin bully males are arguably the most spectacularly coloured native fish with fins of bright orange red.

Shortjawed kokopu

Like the other kokopu species, the shortjawed kokopu starts life as a whitebait - telling the species apart when they are at the whitebait stage is practically impossible.

Torrentfish

The streamlined shape of this native fish must have influenced Concord designers.

Find out more

Publications

New Zealand's native freshwater fish factsheet (PDF, 195K)
New Zealand large galaxiid recovery plan (PDF, 980K)
New Zealand non-migratory galaxiid fishes recovery plan (PDF, 162K)

Learn more

Find out about the biology of whitebait and whitebait identification

Journey Up the Creek A bilingual website for students follows a trip up the creek to show how fresh water supports life.

Freshwater board and card games

Contacts

DOC HOTline - 24 hour emergency number

Phone 0800 DOC HOTline (0800 362 468) to report:

Sick or injured wildlife
Whale or dolphin strandings