Luke* Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 I took my bros lab dog for a run the other day around a boardwalk and it comes to a part where a stream runs into the estruary. to my surprise i looked down into the crystal clear water and i straight away noticed a single whitebait....then another and another until there was a whole school there. very neat experience to witness. i was amazed that they were so close to saltwater as i've only ever seen them in freshwater rivers before. further up the bush becomes denser and there's oxygen-looking weed in the water. do you think there could be freshwater shrimp amongst the weed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snorkel Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Yes, there will be shrimp there. Go for a look at night with a torch. Whitebait (inanga) spend the early part of their lives at sea. It is almost whitebait season. Get ya net out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heir Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Yes, there will be shrimp there. Go for a look at night with a torch. Whitebait (inanga) spend the early part of their lives at sea. It is almost whitebait season. Get ya net out! Actually "whitebait" refer to a number of species young. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 11, 2008 Report Share Posted August 11, 2008 Yeah, there are 5.4 species that make up 'whitebait'. The galaxiids make up the 5: Inanga (Galaxias maculatus) - most commonwhitebait, circa 95% of total catch. 10cm-ish. Lives one year, dying after spawning. Koaro (Galaxias brevipinnis) - second most common. Lives in very fast flowing, bouldery streams. Grow to about 20cm long. Banded kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus) - quite a stroppy fish, bit of a lurker. Lives in sluggish bush streams. 20-25cm. Giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus) - Biggest native freshwater fish (apart from eels) 30-40cm usually, biggest recorded was 58cm. Not good eating. Like bandeds, lives in sluggish bush streams, under overhands etc. Possibly lives 20 years or so. On the threatened species list: gradual decline. Shortjaw kokopu (Galaxias postvectus) - lives in fast flowing boundery streams, but in the pools under large rocks. Often quite docile. 20cm-ish On the threatened species list: gradual decline. And now why i said there were 5.4 species.... smelt are counted at whitebait, but 'second class' ones, as they taste and smell like cucumber! Apparently it is stronger when cooked. Smelt (Retropinna retropinna, and Stokellia anisodon) - shimmery silver, has scales whereas galaxiids have thick skin. Inclined to die very very quickly after being caught. (sorry about the weird combination of photo-sizes....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke* Posted August 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 mmm thanks for the thorough illustrated info, awesome. man love that giant kokopu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fenriswolf Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 Yeah, the giant kokopu look amazing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 That was Charles Mitchell's one at the last fish show. Apparently she was seven years old and particularly well patterned. I have a few fat two year old ones. Lovely fish! Yet to see one in the wild though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 they have them (i think its them) in the vet pond at massey, does that count as wild? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 yeah I have heard they are there! Amazing as it is pure liquified duck shit! Not sure if they are in the pond itself, but I definietly know they are in the stream between the duck pond and the turitea stream. My friend caught one in the Turitea Stream in Bledisloe Park, but it was pnly a couple of months post-whitebait and doesn't really count I really do need to explore that area... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 13, 2008 Report Share Posted August 13, 2008 in the vetpond i have seen what was either a trout or a giant kokopu about a foot long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlemantaken Posted August 23, 2008 Report Share Posted August 23, 2008 I have just built a large pond, seeded it with Dapnia and its now chokka with them. I'm looking for a whitebaiter in Masterton area to get some bait from in hopes of some kokopu being amongst them,long shot but worth a try, failing this and trademe mb I'll have to get gear and catch some myself.Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 24, 2008 Report Share Posted August 24, 2008 Cool! Whitebait are pretty hard to tell apart but it can be done. There is a guide on the DOC website, shouldn't be too hard to find. I would go for anything trying to climb out of your bucket, particularly towards the end of the season. Inanga tend to have tiny black dots on the head and down the body. Non-inanga tend to be shorter, and kokopu are slightly amber (more obvious en masse). Inanga can be very good in a pond, as they are schooling and tend to be seen out in the open. Kokopu are more lurkers, spending the day under overhangs and coming out at night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted August 24, 2008 Report Share Posted August 24, 2008 climbers would more likely be koaro wouldnt they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 24, 2008 Report Share Posted August 24, 2008 Also the three kokopu species. Koaro are the most well known as climbers (not sure if they are the 'best' or not). I was talking last night with Mike Joy (massey uni freshwater sciences senior lecturer and major stirrer) and he mentioned an idea they are playing with which allows the climbers to climb out and fall into a second compartment. Thus the more rare fish get sorted from the common (but probably also in decline) inanga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preacher Posted August 24, 2008 Report Share Posted August 24, 2008 I did notice a couple of the adult inanga I had in the pond jumping out the water at the shallow end onto the polythene liner and then jumping back in. That was before they all died off from the dreaded white spot They certainly seemed to enjoy jumping out the bucket so I dont know how effective different compartments would be at seperating them! P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Yes, inanga are little jumpers. They can be seen in the wild jumping at the surface (night mostly, and hitting the surface during the day at food). I can't imagine an inanga jumping more than about 6 inches straight up, but they are definitely not climbers. I have heard of an adult giant kokopu (nearly a foot long) jumping 1.5 feet straight up and out of its drum (and died). Those are the only details I know about the fish separating bucket, I hope to see a diagram soon. Whitespot does SUCK when it comes to native fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtlemantaken Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Greetings, I just found this site so can bypass the whole 'trial by error' as it seems there is a lot of hands on experience here, Question....if Inanga are 'land-locked' in a pond will they still only live a year even if they can't spawn properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 Also the three kokopu species. Koaro are the most well known as climbers (not sure if they are the 'best' or not). I was talking last night with Mike Joy (massey uni freshwater sciences senior lecturer and major stirrer) and he mentioned an idea they are playing with which allows the climbers to climb out and fall into a second compartment. Thus the more rare fish get sorted from the common (but probably also in decline) inanga. now that is a good idea, maybe easy to achieve with bucket inside a bucket with slots above water level to allow the climbers to access second container Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted August 27, 2008 Report Share Posted August 27, 2008 If inanga do not have the appropriate cues to breed (which means access to estauries etc etc) they can live for a long time. HOWEVER they can also become eggbound and die... So in an artifical environment, like and aquarium or pond, they may die or they may keep going. I had an inanga that lived for three years in captivity (longer if you count the whitebait stage) and I have seen a 15cm monster inanga who was five years old! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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