Freshwater fish

Common smelt

Common smelt. Photo copyright: Stephen Moore. DOC USE ONLY.
Common smelt

The small shimmering silver fish occur in large shoals in estuaries and lowland rivers. They spend most of their lives at sea. Some return to freshwater as juveniles in spring but most return as adults in summer when they are about 10 cm long. They can also be found in some lakes.

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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

Conservation for prosperity. Tiakina te taiao, kia puawai