Celebrating our freshwater native fish, Kōkopu / Galaxiids!
Galaxiids are a scale-less bony fish that often grow no bigger than 150mm (exceptions include the Giant and Banded Kōkopu). Five of the 29 species in Aotearoa migrate between fresh and sea water in their lifecycle - the juveniles of these species are known collectively as 'Whitebait'. The other species live their entire lives in freshwater, with some species growing old in the exact same part of the river they were born!
Their main threats are habitat loss from land development and predation by trout and eels. Things you can do to help protect these cuties include:
- plant river banks with native plants
- carefully clean boating and fishing gear between waterways to destroy eggs of pest species.
- Never release pest fish into the wild – it’s illegal!
- Respect drains - they flower unfiltered to our rivers.
Dimensions: 6.5cm long.
Made from salvaged bamboo offcuts and recycled 3D printer waste in Christchurch, NZ by Remix Plastic. We always ship plastic free.
Information from Department of Conservation, NIWA and Landcare.