Scientists hook new fish

Photo / Alison Balance

New Zealand scientists have uncovered another new species of fish never before found in New Zealand waters.

It was found by one of a 13-strong team of scientists assessing fish, animal and plant species at the remote Kermadec Islands.

The engineer of the Kermadecs Biodiscovery expedition, which left on May 9, spotted a plastic bottle in the water and hauled it in, to find a trigger fish underneath.

"It's a juvenile trigger fish - exactly what sort, we don't know yet," said an expedition spokesman.

"Trigger fish are the tropical equivalent of leather-jackets, and this is almost certainly a new species record for New Zealand."

The team, which returns from its 21-day expedition next week, has already discovered a pipe fish and a small left-eye flounder likely to be new to science, and a shark, a zebra lionfish, a tropical banded eel, a blackspot sergeant and a tropical goatfish which are all thought to be new to New Zealand records.

Final confirmation of all the finds won't be made until after the expedition returns.

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