Whitebait under threat

It’s that time of year again when hardy whitebaiters have sorted their gear and will head for the rivers and estuaries around the country for the opening of the whitebait season on Saturday 15th August - except for the West Coast of the South Island where the season starts a fortnight later on the 1st of September

DOC is asking whitebaiters to be aware of the regulations and to be within 10 metres of their gear at all times so they can’t just set and forget their net and leave it unattended DOC freshwater fish expert Jane Goodman said rules were in place to help sustain the fishery and asks fishers not to take more than they needed.

“Whitebait are the young of native fish and the future of whitebaiting depended on having sustainable native fish populations.” says Goodman

“Inanga are the most common species, but whitebaiters may also capture the young of giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, koaro and banded kokopu depending on which river they are fishing in. Giant kokopu and shortjaw kokopu are threatened species.”

Department of Conservation staff and other freshwater fish experts have been returning to streams and rivers with historical records of adult whitebait (galaxiids) and finding that they are no longer present. Experts are very concerned about this trend and are endeavouring to document this decline and the reasons for it.

Water removal, pollution, wetland drainage, introduced pests and destruction of stream-side vegetation are some of the issues that threaten the long-term survival of whitebait species.

“Whitebaiting adds further pressure to the survival of these species if not carried out in a sustainable manner.”

Whitebaiters are also reminded to check, clean and dry their gear when moving between or up waterways to prevent the spread of didymo algae and other aquatic pests.

“Didymo and other aquatic pests threaten the health of the fishery and the Department of Conservation (DOC) and MAF Biosecurity need the help of whitebaiters to ensure that invasive freshwater pests do not spread.” says Goodman

“Generally speaking, whitebaiters observe the regulations that help keep a healthy fishery but we all have to be aware of contaminated whitebaiting gear affecting other streams.

“If each stream is treated as if it is contaminated and people check, clean and dry their gear between streams, we can reduce the potential threat and retain a sustainable fishery for future generations.”

o More information on didymo and approved cleaning methods can be found on the MAF Biosecurity New Zealand website www.biosecurity.govt.nz.
o Information on whitebaiting regulations and whitebait and other native fish species can be found on the DOC website: www.doc.govt.nz .

Contact DOC Jane Goodman 04 471 300
MAF Bisecurity Matthew Thorpe 029-8940328

ENDS

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