About 60 adult rare lowland longjaw galaxias were released at a special "translocation celebration" into the Waianakarua River yesterday by Te Runanga o Moeraki chairman Patrick Tipa, Department of Conservation Otago conservator Marian van der Goes and Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean.
The "nationally critical" fish were retrieved from the Kauru River earlier this month and relocated to the Waianakarua River in the hope of establishing a new population.
Doc freshwater ranger Peter Ravenscroft said the population in the Kauru River could be lost in one catastrophic event, so the decision had been made to transfer some to start a new population at a fresh site.
"We decide the Waianakarua River was the best bet.
"It has beautiful water quality and a great diversity of native fish," he said.
