| Brief Description |
The New Zealand Grayling is our only extinct native freshwater fish; this specimen was caught in the Turakina River (according to former Curator of Fishes at Te Papa Jock Moreland, 2 July 2001), probably in the late 19th century. Andrew Stewart (Collection Manager- Fish, Te Papa) says that there are no more than 10 surviving mounted specimens of this species world-wide. The grayling or upokororo was a timid fish that lived in large shoals and ate mostly algae. Considered good eating, it was once common in New Zealand rivers, but rapidly declined after 1900 and was extinct by the 1930s.
|
