New site discovered for bignose galaxias

A new site for bignose galaxias has been discovered in springs near the Hakataramea River.

The native fish was first found in the Mackenzie Basin in 2001 and all sightings have previously been confined to that region.

It was good news for sustaining the population of the species as there might now be more sites within the Waitaki region, biodiversity assets programme manager Dean Nelson said.

The galaxias were small and pencil-shaped with a blunt head and were named for their slightly bulbous nose.

The first discovery was in a stream near the Ahuriri River.