lives where the snowmelt runs cold

Size
Length: 8–12 cm, Weight: 10–25 g
Lifespan
3–5 years
Diet
Feeds on aquatic insects, small crustaceans and insect larvae. Lives in cold, fast, oxygen-rich water of high-altitude streams and rivers. Prefers water too cold for introduced trout, which has protected it from predation.
Habitat
Cold, fast, oxygen-rich water of high-altitude streams and rivers from the foothills up to the alpine zone. The fish of the snowmelt, living where the water is too cold for trout.
Range
High country of the South Island, particularly in braided rivers and their tributaries. Most common in cold, fast, oxygen-rich water from the foothills up to the alpine zone.
Endemism
Endemic
Main Threats
Habitat loss from irrigation and water extraction. Sedimentation from farming and forestry. Predation by introduced trout. Climate change reducing water flow and increasing water temperatures.
Population
Not Threatened. Common in the high country of the South Island, especially in braided rivers and their tributaries. Preference for cold, fast water has protected it from the worst impacts of introduced trout.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
native freshwater galaxias, observe from bank to avoid disturbance
Conservation Note
Endemic freshwater fish; widespread in alpine and subalpine streams in the South Island.
Assessment
NZTCS Freshwater Fishes (2023)
Te Ao Māori
The Alpine Galaxias does not have a widely recorded Māori name. This is likely because it lives in the high country. Māori settlement was sparse in these areas. Today it is the fish of the snowmelt stream. You catch it in a net while you are supposed to be looking for trout. It is a small, silvery flash. It reminds you that the high country has its own special residents. Mana whenua value these remote habitats. The health of the headwaters reflects the integrity of the wider catchment.
Water hurts here. The alpine galaxias is the mountaineer of the fish world. It lives where the water hurts. The alpine galaxias is small and slender. It rarely grows longer than a finger. It has a pointed snout and tiny sharp teeth. The colour is muted olive-brown to silvery-grey. Faint darker blotches often mark the sides. It is not a flashy fish. It does not need to be. It lives where the water is cold enough to hurt bare hands. The only thing that matters is survival. A fish that has no time for beauty. These fish are the sprinters of the high country stream. They live in fast, shallow water. Bigger fish cannot follow them there. They dart between rocks and hide in the gaps between the gravel. They feed on small insects and crustaceans. They snatch them from the current with quick, precise bites. They are incredibly tough. They survive under the ice in winter. They endure water that barely reaches double digits in summer. A fish that does not complain about the cold. Alpine galaxias are the canary in the coal mine for the high country. They need clean, cold, fast water to survive. They vanish when farming gets too intense. They disappear when irrigation pumps suck the river dry. Their presence indicates a healthy high country stream. Their absence indicates problems. A fish that tells the truth about the water. To find an alpine galaxias is to find a piece of pure South Island high country. It is a small, tough, uncomplaining fish. It keeps swimming, generation after generation. It inhabits the coldest, fastest water in the country. The stream is cold. The galaxias darts between rocks. It is a silver flash in the clear water. The irrigation pump roars in the distance. The fish does not know the water is being taken. It does not know the stream is dying. It just swims. That is all it can do.