Parks & recreation

In this section:

Activities
- Fishing
  - Whitebaiting

Whitebait regulations (West Coast) - Whitebait identification

Whitebait identification

Do you know your whitebait species? Whitebait of the five galaxiid species cannot be recognised with ease but distinctive characteristics can be summarised as follows:

Species	Common	Jaws	Fins	Pigments	Colour	Size
Galaxias maculatus	Inanga	small mouth with lower and upper jaws even	dorsal fin directly above anal fin	large black spots ahead of dorsal fin sometimes right forward and along the sides	translucent, blue-green when fresh; glassy clear	50-65mm
Galaxias brevipinnis	Koaro	shorter lower jaw	anal fin starts below the middle of dorsal fin; large prominent pectoral fins	very small pigments in front of dorsal fin and along the lateral line	sometimes opaque milky white when fresh	45-55mm
Galaxias fasciatus	Banded kokopu	lower jaw a little shorter than the upper jaw; mouth reaching to about the anterior eye margin	dorsal fin directly above anal fin and prominent pectoral fins	very small pigments in front of dorsal fin and along the lateral line	golden, pale amber when fresh	30-45mm
Galaxias argenteus	Giant kokopu	large mouth extending below the eye	dorsal fin not directly above anal fin	very small pigments in front of dorsal fin and along the lateral line	golden	45-50mm
Galaxias postvectis	Short-jawed kokopu	much shorter lower jaw	dorsal fin not directly above anal fin	very small pigments in front of dorsal fin and along the lateral line	little coloration	50-55mm

N.B: The above species are ranked by abundance (although koaro and banded kokopu sometimes swap in abundance). Size can vary and banded kokopu only can be distinguished by its small size. Koaro and short-jawed kokopu are very difficult to distinguish.