29 November

The good, the bait and the ugly

The annual whitebait fishing season is due to close on 30 November and Department of Conservation staff report that communities on the Kapiti Coast have been well-behaved, aside from a few notable exceptions.

“Whitebaiting season is an annual highlight for many; the schools of juvenile fish provide sustenance, income and recreational value for many fishers and communities,” says DOC’s Kapiti Wellington Biodiversity Ranger Dave Moss.

“Unfortunately for DOC staff it can be a trying time, making sure everyone is playing fair and fishing by the rules.”

Dave says it has been a busy season, with good catches reported at some sites across the past few months between mid-August to the end of November.

Most fishers have complied with the rules to fish between daylight hours, with the right size nets and not across more than one third of the stream. This allows for some of the whitebait – which are the juveniles of five species of native fish – to escape the nets and swim up-stream to complete their life cycle. Most people have never seen the adults of these fish, which are unique to New Zealand and are mostly nocturnal.

“When everyone does the right thing, it will result in whitebait being sustained for many years to come,” says Dave, “But when people get greedy or repeatedly flout the rules, we do have to enforce the law, which is there to sustain the fishery for future generations.”

The maximum penalty for fishing illegally is $5000. This season several warnings have been issued, with one set of gear seized from a wayward fisher and one prosecution being pursued through the courts by DOC, Dave said. “The New Zealand Police have also been hugely supportive when we have not been able to attend incidents.”

Some historically problematic sites have been free from offending.
“Overall, we are pretty happy with the improved level of compliance this season. Communities – and in particular iwi – are leading the way for a good future for whitebait and those who fish for them.”

–Ends–

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