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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 11, 2012 18:28:30 GMT 12
Whitebaiters fined for ignoring rulesThe Rotorua Daily Post | Wednesday, 04 April 2012BUSTED: Five whitebaiters have been fined after they were caught flouting regulations by illegally fishing within 20m of a canal or floodgates.FIVE whitebaiters have been fined after they were caught flouting regulations by illegally fishing within 20m of a canal or floodgates.
Travis Tane, 22, Tawhai Te Ariki, 20, Aiden Ohlson, 22, Peter Ford, 18, and Tawhai Tarau, 24, all from Whakatane, pleaded guilty to illegally fishing within 20m of either the Awatapu or Orini Canal floodgates. The group appeared in the Whakatane District Court.
Gisborne/Whakatane Department of Conservation area manager Andy Bassett said the department would prosecute people who flaunted the rules.
The floodgates had numerous signs informing the public whitebaiting was not permitted within 20m of the structure.
"Meaning there is no excuse for ignoring the rules," he said.
All six were fined $1000 with $132 court costs plus forfeiture of their nets.
A sixth man, Mark Hohua, 37 , of Whakatane, was fined $200 with $132 court costs and forfeiture of his net for fishing outside the permitted 5am to 8pm whitebait fishing hours. Hohua was arrested for whitebaiting after midnight from the Whakatane boat ramp.
"We have informed the public of the regulations with yearly media campaigns and on-site signage, this leaves us no alternative but to prosecute those who have scant disregard for the sustainability of the whitebait fishery," Mr Bassett said. "With the ongoing efforts of DoC compliance staff, assisted by the police, the outcome from the court was a pertinent reminder to those who illegally whitebait fish that it could end up being a costly exercise."www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/news/whitebaiters-fined-for-ignoring-rules/1329723
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Apr 27, 2012 17:34:02 GMT 12
Battling the elements to improve the health of a precious taongaBy AARON LEAMAN - Waikato Times | Friday, 27 April 2012RESTORING THE RIVER: Aka Aka dairy farmer Stu Muir and wife Kim Jobson have received funding from the Waikato River Authority to help create a breeding ground for inanga. — MARK TAYLOR/Waikato Times.IT WOULD be a hard task estimating how many whitebait fritters have been served up at the Muir household.
From an early age, Aka Aka dairy farmer Stu Muir recalls fishing for the delicacy along the banks of the Waikato River with his father or grandfather.
In those days, whitebait runs were plentiful and the river clear.
"We use to put a white board in the river and wait for the whitebait to cross over it," Mr Muir, 41, said.
"You'd then drop your net in the water and that's how we would catch them. I remember catching kerosene tins full of whitebait and that's not too long ago. Now the water clarity has got worse and people use set nets to catch them."
The Muir family, who have farmed in the lower Waikato river area near Waiuku for six generations, were among 24 recipients picked for funding by the Waikato River Authority earlier this year.
Their project, which received $9400 from the authority, aims to restore a two-hectare Waikato River island and create a breeding ground for inanga.
Whitebait are the juveniles of five native species, including the inanga.
Mr Muir, who is managing the project, said diggers would be used to create a series of tidal ponds to give the inanga spawning pools.
Spraying of pest plants began in February.
"We're really pleased with the amount of funding we've received because we'd rather do a small project and do it well," wife Kim Jobson told the Waikato Times.
"We're very privileged to be given this support and we can always reapply when further funds become available."
The Muirs say a combination of factors have led to declining whitebait runs, including a loss of habitation, stock accessing waterways and introduced pest species. Top of their list is the invasive Koi carp.
"They rip up the grass where the inanga lay their eggs and take over the waterways," Ms Jobson said.
"They're the possum of the river, they're just revolting."
Mr Muir said by focusing on restoring one river island, the project was "neither too small to make a difference or too large that the project becomes unmanageable."
The Muirs have also approached two local schools to be involved in the project.
"We envisage that not only will this project help the inanga [it] will also give the children of the district a chance to be involved in a project where they can see a difference being made to their immediate environment."
"They will be involved from the start — identifying exotic weeds and animals, learning how they arrived and what harm they can do when introduced to the wrong habitat. Most importantly they will learn that whitebait are not an unlimited resource that arrives each year from the sea but a precious taonga that needs our help to protect them by restoring their environment and looking after their health and wellbeing."
Mr Muir said the project funding would also enable his family to continue their river conservation work.
Kilometres of creeks have already been cleared of exotic species, turning choked waterways back into vibrant streams.
"I think most people would like to improve the environment but sometimes it can be hard finding that extra money. The authority's funding allows us to do this."
Authority co-chairman John Luxton said restoring the whitebait's habitat would make a tangible difference to the health of the river.
The authority administers the Waikato River Clean-Up Trust, with the Government committing $210 million over the next 30 years.
To date almost $700,000 has been allocated to 24 projects in the under-$50,000 category.
Mr Luxton said all applications had gone through a comprehensive evaluation which aimed to give the authority the "best bang for our buck".
Co-chairman Tukoroirangi Morgan said he was "hugely excited" by efforts to restore whitebait numbers.
"We've set out to fund the most creative and innovative projects, and this project is one of a number of initiatives that will work together in a cohesive way."www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/6814672/Battling-the-elements-to-improve-the-health-of-a-precious-taonga
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on May 1, 2012 11:14:55 GMT 12
Whitebait in line for a homeowners' makeoverBy EMMA GOODWIN - Manawatu Standard | Monday, 30 May 2012WHITEBAIT can look forward to home renovations thanks to some help from the Horizons Regional Council and a handful of keen helpers.
Whitebait Creek in Foxton Beach is getting the attention of nine international volunteers and a $30,000 makeover handout from Horizons to start a habitat restoration programme earmarked in the Manawatu River Leaders' Accord.
The volunteers, organised by Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, will be weeding, fencing and planting along the banks of the creek as part of a NZ Landcare Trust-led project to restore the whitebait population.
Landcare is seeking more funding to extend the project's reach and the current work is the first of three fortnight-long programmes planned.
Horizons made a successful bid to secure funding from the Government's Fresh Start for Freshwater Clean-up fund to help clean up the Manawatu River, and has earmarked a budget of $480,000 to restore the habitat for whitebait and native fish in four sub-catchments of the river.
Whitebait Creek is just one of several sites to be restored to increase spawning rates and improve whitebait runs in the next three to five years.
The regional council said whitebait and native fish were an important indicator of river health and declining numbers could be a result of loss of habitat, access restrictions and competition from introduced species.
At a presentation held beside the creek, Landcare Manawatu-Whanganui regional co-ordinator Alastair Cole welcomed the support from the overseas volunteers and emphasised the importance of community involvement.
"Working together we can make a real difference to this creek and its ecosystem and eventually within the entire catchment," Mr Cole said.
He said cleaning up rivers and streams would not only improve the habitat for native wildlife, it was also beneficial for people.
The volunteers will be at various points along the creek until May 02.www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/6829207/Whitebait-in-line-for-a-homeowners-makeover
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on May 9, 2012 22:01:15 GMT 12
Whitebait targeted in Maori claimsMaori claiming customary rights to whitebaitTaranaki Daily News | Wednesday, 09 May 2012CLAIM DENIED: Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson said Maori claims for whitebait would be unsuccessful. — ROBERT CHARLES/Fairfax NZ.MAORI GROUPS are claiming customary rights to whitebait in South Taranaki waterways and to a large part of the foreshore.
Multiple claims were made by several Maori groups on the Waihi Creek to the Ngaere Stream, including the mouth of the Waingongoro River near Hawera, and for the Waingongoro River to Wahamoko Stream, and the area between the Taungatara and Waihi Rivers as well as other parts of Taranaki.
The claims are just some of the 24 lodged for title to 21 beaches around New Zealand, including the New Plymouth foreshore.
Applications for the customary rights to whitebait in the Waihi Creek to the Ngaere Stream, including the mouth of the Waingongoro River were made by representatives of Okahu Inuawai Hapu, Kanihi Umutahi me etahi Hapu and Ngati Manuhiakai.
The whitebait claims were made under the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and transferred as applications under the Marine & Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011.
They ask for the "protected customary rights for the exercise kaitiakitanga over foreshore and seabed, including manamoana and management of resources, extracting resources from foreshore and seabed (including whitebait, sand, peat), aquaculture, use of tauranga waka (including launching and landing vessels and building and maintaining groynes) and any additional customary rights."
Yesterday Minister of Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Chris Finlayson said that claims for whitebait would be unsuccessful.
"If they wanted to claim for whitebait under the Marine and Coastal Area Bill they would literally be pushing whitebait up a river," he said.www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/6884558/Whitebait-targeted-in-Maori-claims Westport wharf whitebaiting to be bannedBy LEE SCANLON of the Westport News | Wednesday, 09 May 2012WHITEBAIT. — Photo: Mark Mitchell.A WEST COAST whitebaiting tradition spanning generations may be banned — for health and safety reasons.
Westport Harbour authorities are considering banning whitebaiting under the Westport wharf.
More than 50 unhappy whitebaiters attended a meeting about the proposal last night called by harbour officials.
Harbour authorities told them they were worried about the safety of people accessing port operational areas and the harbour company's liability for any accidents. They gave whitebaiters a fortnight to come up with alternatives to a ban.
The whitebaiters formed a five-person committee to seek legal advice.
They said they had expected to lose their stands under the coal wharf if and when coal miner Bathurst Resources began its planned $30 million port upgrade. However, they thought they would retain access to the rest of the wharves.
"If you are not in the [Bathurst] area why shouldn't you be allowed to whitebait? This is a tradition," said committee member Paul Bonisch, whose family has fished under the wharf for 60 years.
Allowing whitebaiters access to the wharf during the 10-week whitebait season wasn't too much to ask, especially as conditions usually meant they could only fish for about five weeks, Mr Bonisch said.
Whitebaiters had a long history of co-operating with harbour authorities. They vacated when ship movements or port work were taking place.
To his knowledge there had been only two serious accidents at the wharf, neither involving whitebaiters.
Another committee member, Dean Skilton, who has fished under the wharf for 35 years, said harbour authorities should have consulted whitebaiters sooner.
"It's just a shame we've had very little input into the way they are thinking and we've had very little time to respond to it. Why couldn't they have involved us from the word go, so we could have some consultation with them?"
However, he could understand harbour authorities trying to limit their liability and hoped whitebaiters could find a solution.
"The reality is, unless we can get a lawyer to state ... we take liability away from the harbour board, I think we are sunk."
Westport Harbour chief executive Trish Casey said Westport Harbour had been unable to find any way to mitigate the risks to the port company of under-wharf fishing.
"We know this issue is important to those who enjoy this practice, but the staff, directors and shareholders of Westport Harbour are exposed to unacceptable liability from the practice."www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10804700
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on May 11, 2012 1:10:12 GMT 12
Whitebaiting crackdownThe Greymouth Star | Thursday, 10 May 2012A DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION crackdown on illegal whitebait fishing in South Westland last season has resulted in fishermen from around the South Island losing their nets and paying fines.
DOC prosecutor Louise Tumai brought charges against nine people in the Whataroa District Court yesterday.
The whitebaiters had failed to meet requirements such as staying within 10m of the net, and using nets not exceeding more than one-third of the channel width.
Judge Brian Callaghan said that behaviour endangered the whitebait population and was “not fair to other whitebait fishermen” All defendants admitted the charges.
William Rodney Crawford, from Cromwell, was fined $700 for using fishing gear that exceeded more than a third the width of the channel.
He said the river had dropped to low tide and he forgot to raise his net. He was “a bit gullible” and thought he could fish from bank to bank. For using screens otherwise than from the water’s edge, Barbara Helen Mee and Ross Foster were both fined; Mee also had to forfeit her equipment.
Murray Springer, from Greymouth, was fined $650 and had to forfeit his gear for using screens longer than 3m otherwise than from a licensed structure.
Molly Silbery, from Haast, was charged with catching whitebait on August 31 — a month before the opening of the 2011 fishing season. Her fine was reduced to $500 because she was on the widow’s benefit, but she was unable to get her net back because of previous offences.
Grant Neville Brewer, Malcolm Stanley McDonald, Chris Jukes and Alan Peter Blair were each fined $500 for failing to remain within 10m of their nets. Blair had to forfeit his net.www.greystar.co.nz/content/whitebaiting-crackdown
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on May 15, 2012 15:15:42 GMT 12
Aim to protect whitebait: iwiBy LAIRD HARPER - Taranaki Daily News | Saturday, 12 May 2012WAITING: Julie Moyes on opening day of the white baiting season.A SOUTH TARANAKI iwi says whitebaiters have nothing to fear from Maori claiming customary rights to the seasonal delicacy.
On Tuesday, it was revealed applications were made by Ngaruahine hapu Okahu Inuawai, Kanihi Umutahi me etahi and Ngati Manuhiakai pertaining to the tiny fish from Waihi Creek to Ngaere Stream, including the mouth of Waingongoro River.
The claims were made under the Foreshore and Seabed Act 2004 and transferred as applications under the Marine & Coastal Area (Takutai Moana) Act 2011.
Nga Hapu o Ngaruahine Iwi Incorporated chairwoman Daisy Noble said they had applied for a customary protection order that would be exactly that.
"The key word here is protection."
Ms Noble said Maori had long seen whitebait as an essential part of their culture both in terms of food and as a commodity.
But rather than blocking access, it was about ensuring whitebait was available for years to come.
"It's about making sure that the resource is sustained."
"How do we do that? We do that in keeping with the practices that we already have as Maori."
"When we gather food off the rocks we turn the rock over, take the paua off it, and turn the rock back."
She said, if passed, the average whitebaiter would only need to be more conscientious about what they left behind. "You only leave your footprints."
On Wednesday, Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson told 3News any such claims would be unsuccessful as they would "literally be pushing whitebait up a river".
More than 630 people responded to a Taranaki Daily News online poll asking if it was fair for South Taranaki Maori to be claiming customary rights to whitebait.
About 91 per cent of those who voted believed it wasn't while 9 per cent thought it was fine.www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/6908594/Aim-to-protect-whitebait-iwi/
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Jul 13, 2012 20:34:03 GMT 12
Whitebait Festival taken to CantabriansBy CHERYL RILEY - The Greymouth Star | Tuesday, 10 July 2012CANTABRIANS will be able to savour the flavour of West Coast whitebait dished up in their own backyard at a festival on October 20.
The inaugural Great West Coast Whitebait Festival, at Cranmer Square, is being organised by the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival team and promises to be along the same quirky style of “down-to-earth entertainment and food-focused fun, built around the legendary West Coast whitebait”, Westland District Council event organiser Sonya Matthews said.
“The Great West Coast Whitebait Festival is a chance for Cantabrians, many of whom are loyal fans of the Wildfoods Festival, to taste, see and enjoy the very best of the Coast right there in their own backyard.”
Three hundred kilograms of whitebait will be cooked up into an estimated 9000 patties at the festival, among fishy stories of whitebaiting experiences.
“The festival will have a little bit of something for everyone, from more bait cooked in more styles than you could imagine to a fiercely contested Great Bait Debate, to gourmet nosh-ups with a wild flavour, an iconic photographic essay and much, much more,” she said.
“It will be a fantastic day out for all the family, with not just food but plenty of West Coast inspired entertainment and hospitality, as well as a chance for us to showcase all the attractions of Westland, including the Wildfoods Festival.”
Organisers are talking to a range of stallholders, entertainers, sponsors and supporters.
• Tickets to the Christchurch festival are on sale at www.WhitebaitFest.com. Early bird tickets are $27, or $47 on the day.www.greystar.co.nz/content/whitebait-festival-taken-cantabrians Whitebait festival heads east for a dayThe Greymouth Star | Wednesday, 11 July 2012THE TEAM behind the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival is taking the inaugural Great West Coast Whitebait Festival to Christchurch for one day in October — along with 9000 whitebait patties.
The Cranmer Square event at Labour Weekend will include entertainment and food-focused fun, built around West Coast whitebait.
Westland District Council event organiser Sonya Matthews said the festival was something the team had been cooking up for a while, as a way of bringing a distinctly West Coast flavour to new audiences.
“The Great West Coast Whitebait Festival is a chance for Cantabrians, many of whom are loyal fans of the Wildfoods Festival, to taste, see and enjoy the very best of the Coast right here in their own backyard,” she said.
“With very generous support from Westland District Council and the Christchurch City Council, we’ve been able to build the foundation of what we believe will become a real highlight of the Canterbury festival calendar.”
They plan to cook up 300kg of whitebait into at least 9000 patties, with bait cooked in “more styles than you can imagine”.
The event also includes the Great Bait Debate, gourmet nosh-ups with a wild flavour, and a photographic essay.
Organisers are talking to a range of stallholders, entertainers, sponsors and supporters, with opportunities for anyone from either coast.
Tickets go on sale today. Early-bird tickets cost $27. Organisers plan to donate the proceeds of the on-site auctions to the ‘Rebuild Christchurch’ fund.www.greystar.co.nz/content/whitebait-festival-heads-east-day
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Jul 13, 2012 20:34:50 GMT 12
Whitebaiters to be under scrutinyFlout the rules and pay the priceBy MATT BOWEN - Waikato Times | Thursday, 12 July 2012STING: DOC officer Chris Annandale removes an unattended whitebait fishing net from the Waikato River between Tuakau and Port Waikato. — PETER DRURY/Waikato Times.NOW'S THE TIME for whitebait fishers to start boning up on the rules with the season fast approaching.
A successful prosecution in May was a prime example of someone flouting the rules and paying the price.
A man was caught fishing illegally last season near Port Waikato with two nets and was found to be more than 10 metres from his net.
He pleaded guilty to both charges and was fined $1000 plus forfeiture of the net and $139 court costs.
Department of Conservation spokesperson Chris Annandale said the whitebait regulations haven't changed since 1994 but everyone needs to be aware of the rules relating to net size, where they can actually fish on the riverbank and the need to stay within 10 metres of their net at all times.
The whitebait season extends from August 15 to November 30 in all parts of New Zealand, except the West Coast of the South Island and people caught fishing out of season without a permit, or if any rules and regulations are breached, they face hefty fines. Waikato Tainui manages applications for customary permits.
Fishing is allowed between 5am and 8pm from the start of the season, and then from 6am to 9pm when New Zealand daylight saving time comes into effect.
Illegal equipment or equipment illegally set will be seized by Department of Conservation compliance staff during random patrols.
General information is available at any Department of Conservation office and copies of the regulations are also available online.
DoC will undertake random compliance patrols during the whitebait season to ensure fishers are abiding by the fishing regulations.www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7268100/Whitebaiters-to-be-under-scrutiny
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Jul 13, 2012 20:35:14 GMT 12
Wildfoods wants Tohu wineBy SONIA BEAL - The Marlborough Express | Friday, 13 July 2012FESTIVAL CHEERS: Tohu Wines winemaker Bruce Taylor and marketing manager Jessica Thomas celebrate at the company's Awatere Valley vineyard after being awarded the contract as exclusive wine supplier for the annual Hokitika Wildfoods Festival, as well as the inaugural Great West Coast Whitebait Festival at Christchurch in October.TOHU WINES has been granted the contract as the main beverage supplier for the annual Hokitika Wildfoods Festival after a successful trial run at this year's event.
The wine company has secured the contract for the festival till 2016. It has also been handed an exclusive agreement for the inaugural Great West Coast Whitebait Festival in Christchurch this year.
Tohu Wines, with vineyards in Marlborough's Awatere Valley and Waihopai Valley, is owned by the Nelson-based Wakatu Incorporation.
Tohu Wines winemaker Bruce Taylor and marketing manager Jessica Thomas were "thrilled" at the news.
Mr Taylor believed the festival selection was driven by the label's single vineyard, land-focused approach to winemaking that captured the essence of the Awatere.
Westland District Council marketing manager Sonya Matthews said Tohu Wines had resonated with the wildfood festival organisers as it tied in with the event's "food from the land" focus.
"We really liked the fact that Tohu is Maori-owned, and have a strong association with the land, which is very much what the festival is about — food from the land," Ms Matthews said.
The shift to Tohu Wines, from Monteiths and the West Coast Brewery beers, as the main beverage at the event came as a result of research and organisers wanting to cater to older festival-goers, Ms Matthews said.
Wildfoods attracted a surprisingly large number of festival-goers aged over 30.
A Business and Economic Research Ltd report of this year's Hokitika Wildfoods Festival found 48 per cent of those who attended were from Canterbury, and more than half were aged over 30: 30-39 years, 19 per cent; 40-49 years, 19 per cent; 50-59 years, 17 per cent. Just 29 per cent were aged between 21 and 29.
Meanwhile, wildfoods organisers were still etching out the rest of their plans for the Great West Coast Whitebait Festival in Christchurch in October.
The festival, which has support from the Westland District and the Christchurch City councils, promised to deliver the same quirky style of down-to-earth entertainment and food-focused fun, with West Coast whitebait "the star of the show", Ms Matthews said.
Whitebait fans from around the country and Cantabrians, many of whom were loyal supporters of the wildfoods festival, would have the chance to taste, see and enjoy something with a West Coast flavour in their own backyard, she said.
The Great West Coast Whitebait Festival will be held on October 20 in Cranmer Square in central Christchurch.
Tickets to the new Christchurch festival are available at WhitebaitFest.co.nz.www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7272325/Wildfoods-wants-Tohu-wine
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Jul 22, 2012 14:12:02 GMT 12
Major breakthrough as rare native fish reproducedONE News | Friday, 20 July 2012ARTIFICIALLY BRED: An adult whitebait, or giant kokopu. — Picture: ONE News.SCIENTISTS at the Mahurangi Technical Centre are celebrating a major breakthrough after successfully breeding one of NZ's rarest native fish.
The giant kokopu is one of six whitebait species in New Zealand whose habitat is being destroyed by man and cows, but it's now the first to be bred successfully in captivity.
"Closing the life cycle of the giant kokopu is just so exciting because now that's been achieved, it opens it up to environmental restoration projects and also commercialisation of whitebait farming," Mahurangi Technical Institute director Paul Decker told ONE News.
It has taken the team five years to get to this point, through a process of trial and error in perfecting the exact temperature and conditions for the whitebait to thrive.
Seventy thousand fertilised fish eggs have been produced this week and next year 200 adult fish will be released into the Tawharanui fish sanctuary.
"To put fish back in that will start that life cycle again is really important. It's a big step for New Zealand for freshwater fish conservation," DOC biodiversity ranger Thelma Wilson said.
The breakthrough is also good news for foodies who enjoy fresh whitebait fritters.
"We'll be able to supply eggs to whitebait farmers, they hatch them, grow them on for three months and then sell them to the marketplace."
"That export potential as a restaurant product is just massive," says Decker.• Watch a video of the news item.tvnz.co.nz/national-news/major-breakthrough-rare-native-fish-reproduced-4978276
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Jul 28, 2012 13:57:27 GMT 12
Fears of losing whitebait prompt ban callBy KAY BLUNDELL - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 28 July 2012MIKE JOY: Concerns have been raised over whitebait supplies, with a freshwater scientist fearing four species are under threat unless fishing restrictions are tightened in New Zealand. — Photo: Fairfax NZ.AS THE whitebait season looms, a freshwater scientist is calling for tighter fishing restrictions to protect threatened species.
Massey University's Dr Mike Joy said four of the five species of whitebait were as threatened as wood pigeons.
"No-one would eat a wood pigeon fritter but whitebait have the same threat ranking," he said.
The whitebait season opens throughout the country — except on the West Coast — on August 15 and runs to November 30, with fishing restricted to 5am to 8pm, or 6am to 9pm during daylight saving. The Conservation Department (DOC) manages whitebaiting.
Dr Joy said regulations governing the fishery needed updating.
"Whitebait regulations have not changed for decades despite a lot of new information. There is no fishing overnight to let juveniles get up rivers and streams, but now it turns out they do not make their way up at night. DOC has to stop the commercial sale of whitebait in restaurants and look at reducing the season to protect the fishery.
"They are declining and we are going to lose them."
He believed regulations similar to those for trout should be introduced.
"Trout have total protection — you need a licence to fish them and you are not allowed to sell them."
"Individuals should be allowed to go and catch a feed of whitebait for themselves or a friend but you should not be able to buy them in a restaurant, shop or supermarket."
Freshwater studies showed if waterways continued to be destroyed at the present rate, there would be no native fish left by 2050, he said.
"That is the warning. We are destroying our rivers. The first sign is all our fish are starting to disappear. People get angry about killing endangered whales but do not take the same stance with whitebait in the backyard."
DOC spokesman Reuben Williams said whitebait fisheries managed by the department in both the North and South Island were only recreational, though whitebait was sold in restaurants.
"They are not commercially fished," he said.
"Freshwater scientists, NIWA and DOC monitor catch rates which fluctuate from season to season. You have to look at it long-term. Our role is to manage the fishery at the same time as managing waterways and working with the public to try and improve water quality, especially on conservation land which we administer."
The whitebait season on the West Coast, where bumper catches are frequently reported, runs from September 01 to November 14.www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7366591/Fears-of-losing-whitebait-prompt-ban-call
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 1, 2012 17:16:49 GMT 12
Controls called for to let whitebait recoverBy KAY BLUNDELL - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Wednesday, 01 August 2012OTAKI WHITEBAITERS are calling for fishing restrictions on rivers to boost depleted whitebait stock.
The call follows a warning from freshwater scientist Mike Joy that four out of five whitebait species are on the official Conservation Department threatened species list. Dr Joy calls for tighter restrictions as the whitebait season looms.
Fred McDonald has been whitebaiting on the Otaki River since the 1960s and says he and a group of "hard-core" whitebaiters support a two-year rahui — temporary ban on fishing — on local rivers.
"The stocks need time to recover. I have had my share. The waterflow needs restoring to the original waterways and wetlands. We need to clean up the waterways and give the whitebait a home to go to," Mr McDonald said.
He remembers as a child whitebaiters catching more than two kerosene drums full of fish. "It has got worse and worse over the past 10 years. Now you are lucky to get enough for a few fritters for a meal. The stock is just not there. It is a big thrill to catch a pound now."
Ron Wylie has been whitebaiting on the Otaki River for more than 30 years and believes fishing should be restricted right along the Kapiti Coast.
Whitebaiting was restricted to 5am to 8pm, or 6am to 9pm, during daylight saving, but Mr Wylie said fishermen flouted the regulations.
"They [whitebait] get a real hiding, people fish all night when a run is on."
A good catch used to be 30-40lb (14-18 kilograms), he said, and in 1993 he got more than 100lb on one tide.
"There must have been more than a tonne of whitebait caught all the way up the river. It was the biggest run I have ever seen. We used to talk in milk bottle pints. Now 2-3lb would be a good catch and 10lb a really good catch."
"A lot of the unemployed guys camp out there, they have nothing else to do. If they get a few pound they sell or raffle all their bait," he said.
If there was no fishing inside the Otaki River floodgates more fish would get up the river, he said.
The whitebaiting season opens on August 15 and runs to November 30, except on the West Coast, where the season is shorter.www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7387881/Controls-called-for-to-let-whitebait-recover
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 1, 2012 17:16:49 GMT 12
Controls called for to let whitebait recoverBy KAY BLUNDELL - The Dominion Post | 5:00AM - Wednesday, 01 August 2012OTAKI WHITEBAITERS are calling for fishing restrictions on rivers to boost depleted whitebait stock.
The call follows a warning from freshwater scientist Mike Joy that four out of five whitebait species are on the official Conservation Department threatened species list. Dr Joy calls for tighter restrictions as the whitebait season looms.
Fred McDonald has been whitebaiting on the Otaki River since the 1960s and says he and a group of "hard-core" whitebaiters support a two-year rahui — temporary ban on fishing — on local rivers.
"The stocks need time to recover. I have had my share. The waterflow needs restoring to the original waterways and wetlands. We need to clean up the waterways and give the whitebait a home to go to," Mr McDonald said.
He remembers as a child whitebaiters catching more than two kerosene drums full of fish. "It has got worse and worse over the past 10 years. Now you are lucky to get enough for a few fritters for a meal. The stock is just not there. It is a big thrill to catch a pound now."
Ron Wylie has been whitebaiting on the Otaki River for more than 30 years and believes fishing should be restricted right along the Kapiti Coast.
Whitebaiting was restricted to 5am to 8pm, or 6am to 9pm, during daylight saving, but Mr Wylie said fishermen flouted the regulations.
"They [whitebait] get a real hiding, people fish all night when a run is on."
A good catch used to be 30-40lb (14-18 kilograms), he said, and in 1993 he got more than 100lb on one tide.
"There must have been more than a tonne of whitebait caught all the way up the river. It was the biggest run I have ever seen. We used to talk in milk bottle pints. Now 2-3lb would be a good catch and 10lb a really good catch."
"A lot of the unemployed guys camp out there, they have nothing else to do. If they get a few pound they sell or raffle all their bait," he said.
If there was no fishing inside the Otaki River floodgates more fish would get up the river, he said.
The whitebaiting season opens on August 15 and runs to November 30, except on the West Coast, where the season is shorter.www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7387881/Controls-called-for-to-let-whitebait-recover
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 3, 2012 2:45:46 GMT 12
Aggression goes with pillaging of whitebait fisheryDOC is urging fishermen to help conserve the fisheryBy MATT BOWEN - Waikato Times | Thursday, 02 August 2012WHITEBAITERS have threatened to shoot, drown and kill Conservation Department ranger Chris Annandale over the years.
Now, with the season's opening day on August 15 fast approaching, DOC Waikato area manager Matt Cook is calling on fishermen to show respect as his staff work to conserve the fishery.
Mr Annandale has some hair-raising tales from his years spent patrolling the Waikato River.
The worst memory is vivid.
He and a partner had stopped their boat at a stand with six nets out, when you're allowed just one, and were busy confiscating them when their owner appeared.
"We had a pontoon stuck out the back and [the whitebaiter] came belting down the river and rammed us and perched his boat on our pontoon directly behind the motor — there was less than a metre separating us. He threatened to climb aboard and kill the both of us. It was very, very tense."
Had the man clipped a log or wave before impact Mr Annandale reckons he'd have been torn in two.
"I just asked him to settle down and said you know I've got your details you will be hearing from us."
The man was prosecuted for having more than one net and being more than 10 metres from it. The police also charged him with wilful damage and threatening behaviour.
It's the same year after year - through "bluster and bravado" people try and get away with fishing illegally.
Drugs, alcohol and money are also part of the scene.
Whitebait sold to fishmongers in South Auckland would get about $65 per kilo while a buyer on the river would pay about $55.
It also depends on the season, in supply and demand terms, and what's happening generally.
When the America's Cup was in Auckland demand soared and a kilo was going for up to $150.
Drugs are a concern too.
"Some people, you'll pull up alongside their stand and look directly in their eyes and if the signals are there you put it in reverse and bugger off out of it," Mr Annandale said.
"They're probably high on P or something and they would probably slide a knife or boat-hook through you without blinking an eye."
Mr Annandale said most fishermen share his view of the regulations and the fishery.
He wants his grandchildren to be able to catch a feed of whitebait as he does.
"If these people pillage it the way they are then that's not going to happen — the majority are waking up to that."
Unfortunately, some aren't.
"Eighty per cent are really good, 15 percent swing either way, and five per cent it doesn't matter what you do. They're never going to change."
Fishing is allowed between 5am and 8pm during the season, from August 15 to November 30, and from 6am to 9pm when daylight saving comes into effect.www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7398005/Aggression-goes-with-pillaging-of-whitebait-fishery Why our whitebait are at riskIn Our NatureBy NICOLA TOKI - Stuff Blogs | Thursday, 02 August 2012IN THE spirit of the Olympics, I thought it timely to feature some of our extreme athletes of the natural world, masters of swimming endurance, strength and agility. I am of course talking about wriggly, wonderful, whitebait. They would clock up a series of gold medals, being so tiny yet having been found 200km out to sea, for their ability to climb sheer vertical waterfalls and for their ultimate endurance in surviving their many threats. But perhaps time is running out for our much loved whitebait.
As I have mentioned (probably repeatedly), I hail from Southland, so whitebaiting is a huge part of my heritage. When I was a kid, I wrinkled my nose up at whitebait (much to the delight of parents), and requested the "eyes" to be taken out — there's something rather unnerving to eat food that's looking back up at you.The bloke quite enjoys whitebaiting, but I suspect it's more the hour or so of peace and quiet he gets while perched on a riverbank. I go with him on occasion, but I'm not that popular, since I (a) talk a LOT while the important business of whitebaiting is happening and (b) cheer loudly when I see a group of whitebait edge around the outside of the net and make their way further upstream.
If you listen to old-school whitebaiters, tales of taking away the bait in kerosene drums some 50 years ago are not uncommon. You'd be hard-pressed to get that kind of volume now, and despite fluctuating catches from year to year, most whitebaiters agree that catches today are far reduced. So what's the story?
If you weren't already aware, whitebait are not in fact a single kind of fish, they are the juvenile or larval form of five different species of native freshwater fish. They grow up to become inanga, koaro, banded kokopu, giant kokopu and short-jawed kokopu. These native fish are known as galaxiids, due to the Milky Way-like galaxy patterns found on the adult fish, in particular the giant kokopu. Inanga makes up by far the largest portion of whitebait, but the other four species are in serious trouble — now as threatened as wood pigeons.
When it comes to survival, these little fish are up against it. First they have to run the gauntlet of predators on the river, which includes trout, shags, eels and humans with nets. However, a more sinister and destructive presence is threatening their very existence, and indeed the much-loved whitebait fritter — the pollution of our waterways and the destruction of whitebait habitat.
More than 90 per cent of our lowland rivers are now polluted, and we know that the intensification of agribusiness has contributed largely to this problem. What we are now seeing is the impact of that "progress" on the long-term survival of our freshwater fish.
New Zealand freshwater ecologist Professor Mike Joy predicts that if we keep polluting at the rate we do now, our native fish will be extinct by 2050. He says we should revise the whitebait regulations, get licences for catching whitebait, that we do it for trout (a common, introduced fish) so why not whitebait (threatened, native fish)? Why is it you can sell it to restaurants? Shouldn't we just catch a feed for ourselves and our families? He's getting people rarked up because he wants New Zealand to have a wider debate about what is happening to our freshwater. In my view he's got a point.
Four out of five of the whitebait species are threatened, but whitebait regulations haven't changed in decades. During that time, we've increased the number of cows to more than the number of people in New Zealand. Just to give that some context — Colorado is around the same size as NZ, has 20 per cent more people, and has a total dairy cattle herd of 130,000. We have 6.2 million dairy cows — for the same area of land. It's not just about dairy cows — in fact many other types of development degrades freshwater, and, yes, urban stream pollution also plays a part, but the impact of stock numbers, conversions, and intensification in recent years cannot be denied.
There are several reasons that's a problem for whitebait. First, whitebait spawn on a spring tide, by laying eggs in the vegetated areas next to streams. They need cool, moist, protected areas, because the eggs remain there until the next spring tide when they are picked up by the tide, hatch into the stream and wriggle out to sea. Modifying riverbanks and livestock grazing up to the edge of streams wrecks the habitat, and leaves the vulnerable wee whitebait eggs out to dry. A recent study by Canterbury University found that many whitebait eggs are being sunburnt, frying before they even hatch, due to insufficient habitat protection on banks.
The other big problem for whitebait is pollution. Much like attempting to walk or cycle in a polluted city on smoggy days, our freshwater fish struggle to survive in polluted waterways — they need clean, high-quality rivers to thrive. But we're running out of those. There are some (usually not for profit, or volunteer) organisations that are trying to address this, but the whitebait need the government to look out for them. Nutrient runoff and sediment filling all the spaces between the rocks in the riverbeds are simply making life impossible for our iconic fish and, in my view, also putting at risk a big part of our heritage. What will it take to stop us losing these things forever?
The whitebait season opens throughout the country — except on the West Coast — on August 15 and runs till November 30, with fishing restricted to 5am to 8pm, or 6am to 9pm during daylight saving. The Conservation Department (DOC) manages whitebaiting.So, what about you guys? Keen whitebaiters? Noticed a difference in catch numbers? Worried about the state of our freshwater? I know I am. Is it time to give our precious whitebait a break? What do you think we should do to help them out?www.stuff.co.nz/national/blogs/in-our-nature/7393261/Why-our-whitebait-are-at-risk
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 9, 2012 16:37:28 GMT 12
Little wrigglersBy DELWYN DICKEY - Rodney Times | Thursday, 09 August 2012QUENTIN O'BRIEN: The Mahurangi Technical Institute scientist has been developing the giant kokopu breeding technique for five years.WHITEBAIT FRITTER lovers have good news.
A fish breeding breakthrough at Warkworth means factory farming of the delicious little wrigglers is now possible.
Whitebait could soon be picked up at the supermarket and possibly exported too.
Mahurangi Technical Institute has managed to breed giant kokopu — one of the five native fish collectively called whitebait — on a large scale. This comes amid concerns about falling numbers.
But not all are convinced commercial farming will help dwindling supplies.
Calls for tighter restrictions during the whitebait season have come from Massey University freshwater scientist Mike Joy who says commercial fishing of wild stock should be stopped. Four out of five whitebait species are on the official Conservation Department threatened species list. Dr Joy says the overall decline comes from poor water quality.
Researchers at Warkworth's institute don't believe their breeding programme will bring an end to whitebait fishing in the wild. They see it as a business opportunity which will take some pressure off the wild population.
The private institution specialises in the development of freshwater fish breeding techniques for both commercial and conservation purposes.
Years of research under head scientist and eel specialist Tagried Kurwie on the breeding of the New Zealand shortfinned eel as a commercial fish stock has seen it gain some international recognition.
Mahurangi Technical Institute director and founder Paul Decker thought eel breeding research would be his organisation's big success story — rather than whitebait. The institute is close to developing a technique to breed eels in a closed life cycle, something that could also help wild populations which have plummeted internationally.
The breakthrough in giant kokopu breeding has taken five years of research, mostly by aquatic scientist Quentin O'Brien. But the magnitude of Mahurangi's success has left staff stunned.
"They're eating us out of house and home," Mr Decker says. "With one female able to produce 20,000 eggs, which only take 27 days to hatch, we've got hundreds of thousands and are running out of containers to put them all in. We've got a whitebait tsunami on our hands."
Many of the giant kokopu breeding techniques will be transferable to the other whitebait species.
Getting a business plan sorted is next on the list, Mr Decker says.
The institute should be able to start supplying fish farmers properly early next year.
The whitebait season is from August 15 to November 30 for most of New Zealand, and from September 01 until November 14 on the West Coast.www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/local-news/rodney-times/7444486/Little-wrigglers
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 11, 2012 15:15:31 GMT 12
Whitebait breeding programme successBreakthrough could lead to export business — North Island researchers say they have made a significant breakthrough in the commercial farming of whitebait. DELWYN DICKIE reports.The Southland Times | Friday, 10 August 2012TOP ROW: Giant kokopu fish egg (left) and a newly hatched giant kokopu. BOTTOM ROW: Giant kokopu eggs with developing fish visible (left) and a giant kokopu.WHITEBAIT LOVERS have good news. A fish breeding breakthrough by researchers at Warkworth, north of Auckland, is being claimed as a big step forward in farming the delicious little wrigglers — so much so that they envisage the day when whitebait could be picked up at your local supermarket, and possibly exported.
While they may not be the first to have cracked the method of breeding the giant kokopu — one of the five native fish whose young we collectively call whitebait — researchers at Mahurangi Technical Institute have managed it on a large scale.
They don't believe their breeding programme will bring an end to fishing for the little critters in the wild, but they do see it as a serious business opportunity, which will also take some pressure off the wild population.
The private institution specialises in the development of freshwater fish breeding techniques for commercial and conservation purposes.
Its years of research under head scientist and eel specialist Tagried Kurwie, on the breeding of the New Zealand short-finned eel as a commercial fish stock, has seen them gain international recognition.
Institute director and founder Paul Decker had always thought eel breeding research would be their big success story.
They are tantalising close to developing a technique to breed these animals in a closed life cycle, something that could also help wild eel populations, which have plummeted internationally.
But so far it has eluded them.
The breakthrough in giant kokopu breeding has taken five years of research and trials, mostly by aquatic scientist Quentin O'Brien. The magnitude of their success has left them stunned.
"They're eating us out of house and home," Mr Decker says. "With one female able to produce 20,000 eggs, which only take 27 days to hatch, we've got hundreds of thousands and are running out of containers to put them all in. We've got a tsunami on our hands."
While kokopu are only one of the fish species that make up whitebait, they are the tastiest. That makes the success of breeding them as a commercial stock so appealing, special projects manager David Cooper says.
There are two other kokopu species in the mix — banded and shortjaw, along with inanga and koaro. The giant kokopu fish are the longest-lived of the whitebait species at around 30 years. They don't develop the strong fishy taste of the other shorter-lived species until much later. So the more giant kokopu in the mix, the better the quality.
Understanding how the fish breed in the wild was a big part of their success, Mr Cooper says. That will also make it easier to supply the eggs to prospective fish farmers.
The parent fish live in gently flowing, overgrown streams, swampy lagoons and lake edges. They swim down to the lower reaches or wetlands and on a particularly high tide lay their eggs in the long grass on stream edges. These are safe from water predators like eels, but are still kept moist in the grass. The eggs hatch after a month, at the time of the next extra-high tide, and are swept out to sea.
It's thought the hatchlings stay within a few kilometres of land for about three months before heading back to shore and up streams, dodging whitebaiters and their nets as they go.
The eggs' peculiarities make it easy to supply them to prospective farmers as they won't need to be shipped in water with the accompanying special handling needs and weight. Farmers will be able to order their eggs and 10 weeks later have whitebait to sell, Mr Decker says. Three fish farmers are already interested, he adds.
The conservation of freshwater native fish is at the heart of the institute's aquaculture department research. Mr Decker says that the laying of its eggs in grass helps to explain the decline of the giant kokopu, and why fencing stock from and cleaning up waterways is important.
Massey University freshwater scientist Mike Joy says poor water quality is the main reason for the decline in native fish numbers, but is sceptical that commercial farming can help dwindling numbers in the wild and may even create problems of its own.
Besides targeting water quality, Dr Joy has called for tighter restrictions on whitebaiting, and a ban on commercial fishing of the wild stock. Four out of five whitebait species are on the official Department of Conservation threatened species list.
He argues that a commercial fish farming model is not an environmental solution for the species and points to what he says are serious issues surrounding the feeding of farmed fish using meal and oils that generally come from wild fish stocks.
Mr Cooper says that many of the breeding techniques for the giant kokopu will be transferable to the other whitebait species, and repopulating freshwater streams with kokopu is being looked at.
First up will be Tawharanui Regional Park near Warkworth, where a few hundred giant kokopu are likely to be released in the next couple of years.
Once a population has gone from a stream, young fish won't repopulate on their own, Mr Cooper says.
They need the scent of an established population in the stream before they will venture up it. Otherwise they think there must be something wrong with the area and steer clear of it.
So large fish need to establish in the streams first, to draw youngsters.
But for now, getting a business plan sorted is next on the list, Mr Decker says, with the institute expecting it should be able to start supplying the eggs properly by early next year.
Dr Joy hopes the prospect of commercial farming won't make people complacent about over-fishing as another whitebait season approaches, running in Southland from August 15 until November 30.www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/7452726/Whitebait-breeding-programme-success
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 15, 2012 13:51:19 GMT 12
Pest warning for whitebait seasonBy ROGER MORONEY - Hawke's Bay Today | Tuesday, 14 August 2012Heavy rain in Hawke's Bay looks set to dampen the spirits of whitebaiters at the season opener tomorrow.WHILE THE whitebait season is set to kick off tomorrow there was little sign of preparation on the murky waters of the Bay's rivers yesterday.
Although work appeared to have been carried out on some stands on the Ngaruroro and Tutaekuri rivers the waters were still brown with mud and debris; the results of ongoing heavy rain across the region.
While the tiny delicacies may be hard to spot, and harder to snare, the Ministry for Primary Industries is reminding whitebaiters to check, clean and dry their equipment between waterways to avoid the spread of unwanted freshwater pests that can clog nets and choke waterways, including whitebait habitats.
"Unwanted freshwater pests such as didymo and lagarosiphon pose a serious threat to our rivers, streams and lakes," national co-ordination Team Manager John Sanson said. "Once in a waterway they can disperse rapidly and destroy the environmental, recreational and aesthetic values of our waterways."
He said restricting the whitebaiting to one catchment only was the best way to stop the spread of unwanted pests.
"However, if you are going to be moving between waterways we ask you to check, clean and dry any equipment that has come into contact with river or lake water, particularly nets and waders."
Some freshwater pests, such as didymo, were often invisible to the naked eye and could be spread by a single drop of water.
"Treat every waterway as though it is infected — even if you can't see the danger you could be spreading it."www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/pest-warning-for-whitebait-season-/1503657
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 15, 2012 15:43:14 GMT 12
Whitebait opening day outlook poorOtago Daily Times | Wednesday, 15 August 2012HIGH FLOWS in many Otago rivers mean opening day of the whitebait fishing season today might not be very successful, the Department of Conservation says.
The best option for those hoping to get their first taste of the tiny delicacy might be the Lower Clutha River, where rain had not been as heavy, coastal Otago freshwater ranger Pete Ravenscroft said.
Another reason was that a large whitebait-spawning site was found on the river this year.
Rangers would be visiting whitebaiters along the region's rivers, focusing on those fishing outside the permitted hours of 5am to 8pm (6am to 9pm after daylight saving starts, on September 30). Transgressors face fines of up to $5000.
Conservation work had been continuing to improve spawning habitats in Otago rivers, Doc, Contact Energy and landowners helping restore habitat along the banks of the Clutha.
"Whitebait are struggling ... so any work to sustain them should be encouraged," Mr Ravenscroft said.
DOC would be carrying out an anonymous survey of whitebait catch on the Clutha River this season to determine whether the enhancement work was increasing whitebait numbers.
The Taieri River would be the focus next, especially the control of glyceria which was growing out of control on its banks, he said.
"At the moment, there is no spawning habitat along this river because of this invasive weed. I'd like to hear from any landowners wanting to get involved in whitebait enhancement work along the Taieri," Mr Ravenscroft said.
The Otago season runs until November 30.www.odt.co.nz/regions/otago/221629/otago-whitebait-opening-day-outlook-poor Whitebaiters eyeing net resultBy BEN PARSONS - Wanganui Chronicle | Wednesday, 15 August 2012Whitebaiting on the Matarawa Stream.FISHERS around the North Island are readying their nets for another quick but exciting whitebait season.
Today is opening day and Department of Conservation expects the season to be a bit of a mixed bag.
Jim Campbell, programme manager of biodiversity for the Whanganui area office, said a combination of loss of water quality and weather could define the success or otherwise of the season.
"Some farmers have now fenced off their properties so that cattle can't damage the water quality (but) it is hard to tell whether this will improve the water quality for our native fish," Mr Campbell said.
Last season was a success only for a few, so he said fishers would be hoping this one would prove to be better.
He said there were several key regulations that the public needed to be aware of.
Fishing was only permitted between 5am and 8pm or between 6am and 9pm when New Zealand Daylight Saving was being observed.
No one was allowed to fish for whitebait within 20m of any tide gate, floodgate, confluence or culvert.
Nor was anybody permitted to do any fishing for whitebait from a bridge or from a vessel.
And whitebait nets must have a mouth no larger than 4.5m (measured around the inside of the net frame) and framing material no wider than 120mm.
Mr Campbell said that from today, DOC staff and honorary rangers would be patrolling waterways to ensure compliance with the rules and be available to answer any questions.
The season closes on November 30.
Whitebait is the only fish amateurs are allowed to catch and sell. The delicacy is expected to fetch more than $100 per kg this season.www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/news/whitebaiters-eyeing-net-result/1505417 Netters need to keep within the law: DOCBy ROGER MORONEY - Hawke's Bay Today | Wednesday, 15 August 2012NZ DELICACY: Whitebaiters must obey the rules or face prosecution. — Photo: MARK MITCHELL.IF PAST whitebait seasons are anything to go by Department of Conservation officers in Hawke's Bay will likely haul in up to a dozen netters breaking the strict whitebaiting regulations over the next three months.
"We always hope we'll come across none, but we get them every year," compliance officer Tom Barr said.
"It is something we take very seriously. We have done a lot of work to protect the whitebait habitat and we will be carrying out regular patrols so that in years to come there will always be whitebait to catch."
Mr Barr said while there was no quota in place, and no need for whitebait pursuers to be registered, there were strict regulations governing areas that could be fished, and the size of mesh and screens, and coverage, of nets used.
There were also strict fishing hours — between 5am and 8pm, which will change to 6am and 9am when daylight saving kicks on September 30.
All the relevant rules and regulations were available from DOC offices or on the website, Mr Barr said. "Ignorance is no defence — it is not our responsibility to go and tell them, it is their responsibility to find out."
He said most whitebaiters played by the rules, but there were always some who broke them. "If everyone fishes legitimately then there will always be a percentage of whitebait which get through, and that means they will be back next year, and the year after that."
People caught in breach of regulations would have their nets, which can cost between $300 and $500, and screens seized.
"And in many cases we will prosecute — it will be off to court."
Mr Barr said DoC officers would be patrolling randomly. "There will be no pattern to it. We can turn up anywhere and at any time."
He said officers were not intent on enforcing it because they did not want people to catch whitebait. "We do, and we want them to enjoy it — they simply just have to play by the rules."
Despite heavy rains which have filled the rivers with sediment, the whitebait were still likely to be running. The murky waters would not bother them, although the only thing literally against them would be the river flow.www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/news/netters-need-to-keep-within-the-law-doc/1505446 Whitebait from rivers off the menuThe Canterbury Star | Wednesday, 15 August 2012NO GO: Whitebaiters are being warned off the Avon and Heathcote rivers.WHITEBAITERS are being warned against fishing in or around the Avon and Heathcote rivers this season.
The season was due to start today but Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Alistair Humphrey says eating whitebait caught in the city's waterways is dangerous.
"People who take whitebait from the Avon or Heathcote not only put themselves and other consumers at risk but also make us question if any whitebait is safe to eat," Dr Humphrey says.
The latest concern stems from a soon-to-be released ESR report showing silt in the river may now be contaminated with oocycts (eggs) from giardia, Dr Humphrey said.
"This can cause explosive bloody diarrhoea for months. These tiny eggs can live for years in silt and can be released into the water when the silt is stirred up," he says.
"Giardia can also survive freezing, so once thawed giardia within the whitebait can contaminate other foods."
Dr Humphrey said that even before the earthquake Christchurch's waterways rarely met recreational water standards because they were contaminated with duck and dog faeces.www.starcanterbury.co.nz/news/whitebait-rivers-menu/1505484 Muddy start for whitebaitingWaiting for that lucky first catchBy PENNY WARDLE - The Marlborough Express | Wednesday, 15 August 2012GO FISH: Blenheim’s Peter McManaway checks his whitebait net ahead of the opening of the whitebait season today. — EMMA ALLEN/The Marlborough Express.MUDDY WATERS mean only the keenest whitebaiters would be heading down to the Wairau River in Marlborough for the opening of the season today.
Yesterday morning Blenheim retiree Peter McManaway said the track leading down to his whitebaiting spot alongside the Wairau River was so muddy he would not make it to opening day. The water should be just fishable but was so dirty he was happy to delay his start to the 3-month season.
After a few feeds of whitebait patties and omelettes expertly cooked by his wife Marie, he gave 90 per cent of his catch to family and older friends, Mr McManaway said.
"I have always been against selling whitebait," he said. "I think they should be caught for sport like trout."
He always released his first catch of the season, believing this gave him luck and he liked to know those fish would go on to breed.
Mr McManaway has a garden-shed with bunks beside his whitebaiting stand, which is on private property. The idea was to put the net in the river, have a 30-to-45 minute kip, then pull it out to check his catch.
However, there was seldom time for a sleep, he said. Endless visitors dropped by and the nice thing was that there was always plenty of time for a chat.
The one bad thing about whitebaiting on the Wairau was people who roared down the river on wakeboards and jet-skis, deliberately cutting close to the bank and swamping him with a massive wake, Mr McManaway said.
He hoped the Marlborough District Council would do something to stop people who were exceeding the 5-knot (9km/h) speed limit.
The council says anyone speeding can be reported to Maritime NZ in Picton, phone 520 3068 or 027 592 9807.www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7481820/Muddy-start-for-whitebaiting
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 16, 2012 21:24:38 GMT 12
More tall tales than whitebait on first dayAs the whitebait season kicked off on Wednesday, the Taranaki Daily News visited the Waiwhakaiho River to see who was there.By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News | Thursday, 16 August 2012WET WAIT: Tracy Skelton, of New Plymouth, inspects his scoop net after lifting it out of the Waiwhakaiho River, on the first day of the whitebait season. — ANDY JACKSON/Fairfax NZ.A SPOT OF bad weather has never been enough to deter whitebaiters.
Last year it was snow, this year wind and rain, but still the hardy were out chasing the delicacy yesterday as the season opened.
"I was up under the bridge [Te Rewa Rewa] last year and it snowed," a New Plymouth woman, who only wanted to be known as Joy, told the Taranaki Daily News at the Waiwhakaiho River yesterday morning.
"It's still friggin' cold, though."
Joy was on the riverbank at day-break and by 9.30am had netted herself about half a cup of whitebait.
"I wasn't even going to have a fish and I got down here and it got the better of me," she said.
She bagged 92 cups on her best opening day, but she said those days were long gone.
"It was a few years ago now, down around Stent Road, around the coast. You don't get whitebait like that now."
However, it was not all about how much you caught, she said.
"I have more fun catching them than I do eating them. It's just good to get out and about in the fresh air."
"We all know each other down here and we all have a fairly big chin wag."
New Plymouth artist Tracy Skelton said he arrived at the river about 7am.
"It was already busy, there were about eight others here," he said.
He had also caught about half a cup of whitebait but said it was more about the experience.
"You get some real characters down here."
The Conservation Department vowed to take a hard line on anyone breaking the rules.
DOC marine ranger Callum Lilley said one whitebaiter was caught fishing within 20 metres of a tide gate (where a small stream flows into a bigger stream or river) and faced a maximum fine of $5000.
"That leaves little chance for any of these whitebait to make it upstream and be part of the future breeding cycle," Mr Lilley said.
DOC would also be on the lookout for anyone moving rocks to build structures hoping to improve their catch.
"The Whitebait Fishing Regulations 1994 clearly state that no person fishing for whitebait can interfere with, alter, or modify the natural bed or banks of any river, stream, estuary, or channel."
Awakino Hotel owner Margaret Bell said many people returned to the same spot every year.
"It's really good to see some of the old faces," Ms Bell said.
While there had been no tall tales told yesterday afternoon she had no doubt that by closing time there would have been a few - "once they've got some rum and beer into them."
The Mokau butcher, Graham Putt, said he had been out first thing yesterday but did not catch anything.
"There's too much mud in the river," he said.
The season runs until November 30.www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7486959/More-tall-tales-than-whitebait-on-first-day Class swapped for school of whitebaitThe Dominion Post | Thursday, 16 August 2012NEW SEASON: Joshua Cooper-Taepa, 11, and dad Pera Taepa spent the first day of the whitebait season chasing the delicacy at Waimea Stream near Waikanae Beach. — PHIL REID/Fairfax NZ.A FATHER AND SON whitebaiting team hope throwing back their first catch will appease the fishing gods and ensure a bountiful haul over the coming season.
Joshua Cooper-Taepa, 11, and dad Pera Taepa spent the first day of the new season chasing the delicacy at Waimea Stream near Waikanae Beach with a dozen other whitebaiters.
Despite throwing back their first catch yesterday, the pair came away with enough for two fritters, which they will cook up as an offering to Kapanui School deputy principal John Brunton, who let Joshua spend a "special day" off with his dad.
Mr Taepa and Joshua are whitebaiting novices, having taken up the nets for the first time last year, but are eager to master the art.
Mr Taepa said he was "ever hopeful" the season would be a fruitful one. But not everyone is so enthusiastic about the pastime.
Massey University freshwater scientist Mike Joy hopes Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson will ban whitebaiting outright, given declining numbers.
Failing a ban, he would like to see the threatened native species given the same protection as introduced trout. Trout fishing requires a licence and the catch cannot be sold commercially.
Four of five whitebait species were as threatened as wood pigeons, he said.
"No-one would eat a wood pigeon fritter, but whitebait have the same threat ranking."
On most of mainland New Zealand, the whitebait season runs till November 30, with fishing restricted from 5am to 8pm, or 6am to 9pm during daylight saving.www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/7486694/Class-swapped-for-school-of-whitebait Whitebaiting joy at ‘best-kept secret in all NZ’2012 Southland whitebait seasonWhitebait season runs from August to November every yearBy SHIRLEY WHYTE and ALANA DIXON - The Southland Times | Thursday, 16 August 2012ALL SET: Chris Wood and his dog Whisky are ready and waiting to drop their net at the Waiau River mouth. August 15 is the first day of the whitebaiting season. — SHIRLEY WHYTE/Fairfax NZ.WHITEBAITERS are lining up on the banks of the Waiau River, near Tuatapere, to secure their possie for the whitebaiting season ahead.
Beautiful blue skies and calm conditions got the season under way, but the bait proved to be illusive.
Bev and Fraser Flint, of Invercargill, have been whitebaiting on the Waiau River for more than 30 years, buying a bach on the Bluecliff Beach Road 14 years ago, which they use constantly during the year.
“This is the best-kept secret in all of New Zealand — people just don't realise what Tuatapere has to offer.”
The couple said they don't usually catch much whitebait, they just enjoy being by the river and sea.
“The river is always different. It changes every year and you never know what it is going to be like until you arrive. We have seen Hectors dolphins, southern right whales, seals and we have even seen a penguin on the beach — we just love it,” Mr Flint said.
Tuatapere resident and Bluecliff Beach Rd bach owner Peter McDougall said he had whitebaited on the Waiau River for at least 30 years.
“This season has gotten off to a bit of a quiet start with the water being a wee bit dirty; however we are all confident that we are going to have a brilliant season from now on,” Mr McDougall said.Nicky McKenzie empties his whitebait net on opening day at the Waiau River. — SHIRLEY WHYTE/Fairfax NZ.From left, Vanessa Reid, Jamie McKenzie, Nicky McKenzie, Thor McKenzie and their dog Bass. Nicky McKenzie, of Tuatapere, has been whitebaiting on the Waiau River for 34 years and his sons Thor and Jamie have been whitebaiting all their lives. — SHIRLEY WHYTE/Fairfax NZ.Peter McDougall, of Tuatapere, is happy with his day on the Waiau River and it will be whitebait for tea. — SHIRLEY WHYTE/Fairfax NZ.Trudy Anderson, of Tuatapere, on the banks of the Waiau River. Trudy has been fishing all her life and intends to camp by her whitebait spot on the Waiau. — SHIRLEY WHYTE/Fairfax NZ.Bev and Fraser Flint, of Invercargill, with their dog Ginny, have been whitebaiting on the Waiau River for 30 years. — SHIRLEY WHYTE/Fairfax NZ.Invercargill whitebaiter Gordon Wilson with his net on the Waihopai River. — ROBYN EDIE/Fairfax NZ.The Conservation Department was also pleased with the start of the season.
DOC Murihiku compliance and law enforcement ranger Kelwyn Osborn said he had been out ensuring compliance, and was pleased with the behaviour so far.
"It was pretty good, really," he said. "The majority of people are fine; they're out there fishing, and there's been a bit of bait caught, so that's good."
Nobody visited yesterday was caught breaching regulations, but a few reminders, for things such as people's gear "getting close" to exceeding 6m, had been given.
DOC would check compliance regularly throughout the season, he said. "I guess it's about being out there and enjoying the recreational side of whitebaiting ... [Whitebait] is a native species, it is a natural resource, and it's something the whole community needs to take an interest in looking after, by observing whitebaiting regulations, by creating habitat, and catching enough for a feed."www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/7486532/Whitebaiting-joy-at-best-kept-secret-in-all-NZ Hopes high for whitebait seasonBy DON FARMER - Wairarapa Times-Age | Thursday, 16 August 2012SEASONAL TREAT: This early morning scene on the shores of Lake Onoke will be a familiar sight from now until the end of November as whitebaiters chase the elusive delicacy.WAIRARAPA whitebait lovers were quick to gear up for the new season when it opened yesterday with fishers arriving with scoop nets at the mouth of Lake Onoke and set nets appearing round the shores of the lake and along rivers.
Although there were no reports indicating early catches were sizeable, morning tide times were kind with low tide around the Wairarapa coast being just after 9am and hopes high for good catches through to season's end on November 30.
Staff at the Lake Ferry Hotel reported heaps of whitebaiters arriving at low tide to try their luck and that the mouth was open allowing whitebait to infiltrate the lake.
Department of Conservation (DOC) Freshwater technical advisor Jane Goodman said staff would be out checking on how the season was progressing and that whitebaiters were obeying the rules.
It should be remembered that four out of the five species that make up whitebait are declining in numbers but said it was too early to determine how individual whitebaiting spots throughout New Zealand would fish this year.
Ms Goodman said DOC was heartened to learn some farmers were coming to the party by fencing off streams and planting along banks to protect and enhance whitebait spawning grounds.
Whitebaiters are allowed to fish from 5am until 8pm each day or from 6am until 9pm when daylight saving starts. No one is allowed to fish within 20m of a tide gate, floodgate, confluence or culvert.
In recent seasons whitebaiting in Wairarapa has been one of mixed results with most areas fishing poorly, but last season catches picked up noticeably.www.times-age.co.nz/news/hopes-high-for-whitebait-season/1507083
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 18, 2012 13:28:36 GMT 12
Whitebait in short supply — againWhitebaiters want early start to seasonBy JESSICA SUTTON - Manawatu Standard | Thursday, 16 August 2012SHOULD BE ENOUGH: Ian Reichenbach holds enough whitebait to make his reccomended whitebait toasted sandwich. — WARWICK SMITH/Fairfax NZ.FOXTON's long-time whitebaiters are calling for the season to start earlier after a "slow" and uneventful first day — catching only enough for a few fritters.
But Manawatu/Rangitikei Conservation Department ranger Clint Purches says the season starts when it does to give whitebait the chance to get upstream and breed before they are gobbled up.
The three-month whitebaiting season began yesterday, and despite the number of nets dotted through the Foxton Beach's Whitebait Creek, whitebaiters weren't having much luck.
For 42 years Ray Shailea has been whitebaiting at Foxton and Hokio Beach. Yesterday he set up his net at 5am hoping to catch enough whitebait for dinner, but by midday he was becoming disheartened after snatching up only quarter of a pound.
"That's not enough for fritters," he said.
"It's not good so far [the season]. It's pretty slow. I think they should open it earlier."
Every year, Mr Shailea takes a holiday at the start of the whitebaiting season to ensure he doesn't miss out.
"It's a chance to get away from the wife. I also really enjoy it. We all have a few laughs. You have a good catch-up hearing what's happening in Coronation Street."The three-month whitebaiting season began on Wednesday, and despite the number of nets dotted through the Foxton Beach's Whitebait Creek, whitebaiters weren't having much luck. — WARWICK SMITH/Fairfax NZ.Ian Reichenbach, who has been whitebaiting for 55 years, managed to catch a bit more than everyone else, but said the season was still a lot slower than in other years.
"I've been coming here since I was a wee lad with my father," he said. "I think everyone will get a little bit, but it's definitely not like it used to be. It [the season] may need to start earlier."
The creek in Foxton Beach has been earmarked for the habitat restoration programme as part of the Manawatu River Leaders' Accord. Work has begun in the area to help rejuvenate fish stocks in the river which would in turn help to build up whitebait supplies in the next three to five years.The three-month whitebaiting season began on Wednesday, and despite the number of nets dotted through the Foxton Beach's Whitebait Creek, whitebaiters weren't having much luck. — WARWICK SMITH/Fairfax NZ.DOC's Mr Purches said every season varied, so it was difficult to predict what whitebait stocks would be like.
"We know that the stocks have been declining over the years but we will start to see the benefits of the work we're doing [at Foxton] in a few years' time. It will take a couple of seasons to build up the stock."
He said starting the season earlier would not be a good idea.
"We're trying to give them a little bit of a chance. That's why fishing is banned at night. So they can get upstream and breed. If we started it earlier then those fish wouldn't make it up the river."
Last year, no whitebaiters in the wider Manawatu region were prosecuted for breaking the rules, but Mr Purches said "a lot" of people were spoken to.www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/7488874/Whitebait-in-short-supply-again Whitebait opening haul increaseThe Nelson Mail | Thursday, 16 August 2012PLENTY FOR ALL: Opening day has brought with it a vast amount of whitebait. — MARION VAN DIJK/Fairfax NZ.ENOUGH transparent little fish for "a few patties" on opening day will keep Hope whitebaiter Rowan Holdem heading back to Rabbit Island as the season progresses.
Mr Holdem was at his spot early yesterday morning and was satisfied with the catch he left with at midday.
He said yesterday's haul was a good sign, better than he'd had at the season's beginning in other years.
"The kids will be happy."
Marley Neho, who has moved to Nelson from Timaru, was also at Rabbit Island but left empty-handed. He said he had just wanted to get out on opening day and hadn't checked the tide, but would be more particular with future visits.
"The guy that was there just before us caught some."
Yesterday he was fishing with his friend Josh Nash, from Tahunanui, and said they intended to try again today.
"This rain will help — once the mud's cleared out."
The whitebait season runs until November 30.www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/7490361/Whitebait-opening-haul-increase
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 18, 2012 13:29:01 GMT 12
Editorial: WhitebaitBy BARRY CLARKE - The Canterbury Star | Friday, 17 August 2012If you are planning on pigging out on Whitebait this season, check where it comes from or you could be in for a nasty surprise. — Photo: Stephen Moore.I WON'T BE eating any whitebait this season that I'm not 100 per cent sure where it came from.
That's because of the warning out this week — the Canterbury District Health Board says whitebait from the Avon and Heathcote Rivers will be so contaminated they'll cause "months of explosive diarrhoea" if you eat them.
Bugger that!
But you'd have to be out of your mind to even dip your toe into the Avon or Heathcote, let alone try and catch the whitebait.
A shame really, because as a young lad, my mates and I would head to the Avon with our whitebait nets and try our luck.
For some reason we never got much; we always to seemed to be there on the wrong day. We'd hear great stories of shoals running and pounds being caught. But not when we were there.
Stories of great feasts of whitebait patties and money being made by selling bucket loads to local fish and chip shops. We always dipped out on both accounts.The only memorable thing I remember from my relatively short and unsuccessful whitebaiting days was almost getting sucked into a drain on the Avon.
My mate Mike and I had set our net across the drain that runs underneath the entrance to the rowing clubs at Kerrs Reach.
It wasn't allowed but we hadn't been getting any whitebait. We figured when the whitebait came through the drain the only place for them to go was into our net. We just had to be quick before the rangers, who patrolled the river banks, came by.
But as the tide came in, the water funnelled towards both entrances to the drain, and fairly quickly.
It caught us by surprise. The net began to twist and turn under the pressure and it was obvious it was going to disappear into the drain if we didn't grab it.
Stupidly, and without thinking we went into the river to save the net.
I can still remember the force of the chest deep water push us into the drain's concrete support. From the angle I could see inside the drain and it was filling fast from both ends.
It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that if we went into that drain there was no way we were coming out the other end.
I don't recall how, but we got out of the river and also salvaged the net. And here's another crazy whitebaiting yarn.
Last week we were told by one of the city's civic authorities the Avon and Heathcote Rivers were clear and okay to whitebait.
We printed that in our suburban publications — we've had concerned calls ever since.
The day after, the warning from the health board came out saying silt in the rivers was badly contaminated which was infecting whitebait making them dangerous to eat. It could cause "explosive diarrhoea for months."
I know which advice I'm taking!www.starcanterbury.co.nz/news/editor-whitebait/1508682 Slim pickings for whitebaitersBy PENNY WARDLE - The Marlborough Express | Friday, 17 August 2012OPENING DAY: Kalvin Robinson of Blenheim takes a break from whitebaiting, early on Wednesday morning. Behind him is fellow whitebaiter Boofy Pihema of Tuamarina. — EMMA ALLEN/The Marlborough Express.A ROUGH SEA spilling into the Wairau Diversion in Marshlands near Blenheim meant slim pickings for whitebaiters at the opening of the season yesterday morning.
Boofy Pihema of Tuamarina was out in the tide with his scoop-net at 7am. Despite picking up only two or three whitebait per scoop, he was confident the season would improve in a couple of weeks when the weather was warmer.
He first went whitebaiting when he was about 10, with his mother in the Wairau River behind their home, Mr Pihema said. This season he planned to take his five-year-old son Trent along, when his mother and sisters were there to keep an eye on him.
Mr Pihema was looking forward to sharing his catch with relatives, especially an uncle who could no longer get down to the river.
Concerned for the survival of the inanga whitebait species caught in Marlborough, he tried not to be greedy, Mr Pihema said. However, he respected the right of people who made a living from whitebait to catch commercial quantities.OPENING DAY: Kalvin Robinson fishes for whitebait at the mouth of the Wairau Diversion River. — EMMA ALLEN/The Marlborough Express.Yesterday morning there were only a few motor-homes and buses parked alongside the diversion, their owners reluctant to put sock-nets out in case they were damaged by the rolling waves. At the peak of the season he had counted 28 vehicles in the area, Mr Pihema said.
Yesterday morning Marlborough District Council deputy reserves ranger Kevin Hawkins was checking that motor-homes had permits to camp there during the whitebaiting season. This meant meeting many conditions including having three days sewage storage on board.
Frank Best of Blenheim, who slept the night in his house-bus, said this was the first time in four or five years of whitebaiting he had not put his net out on opening day.
"I'll go back to town and do something in my garden," he said.
All his catch went to family and friends, Mr Best said. He did not sell whitebait and would have no problem if rules were changed to stop people selling these native fish.
The whitebaiting season runs from August 15 until November 30.www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7495816/Slim-pickings-for-whitebaiters
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 19, 2012 21:59:23 GMT 12
Wait for whitebait worth the effortBy KATEE SHANKS - Rotorua Daily Post | Saturday, 18 August 2012A DAY BESIDE THE RIVER: Jim Allan is happy spending his days on the bank of the Rangitaiki River in search of whitebait. — LANI HEPI/Rotorua Daily Post.ROTORUA's Jim and Susan Allan packed their lunch and headed to the Eastern Bay in search of whitebait.
The couple had been fishing from the Rangitaiki River near Thornton for only an hour yesterday when The Daily Post caught up with them.
"He's been at it for about an hour and I think there's one whitebait in the bucket," Mrs Allan said of her husband.
Whitebait season officially opened on Wednesday with early reports from anglers around the Bay saying the season is already miles better than the last.
Reports of bucket-size catches were coming in from the Tarawera River and the Rangitaiki River mouth, although the word was the anglers had been on the water at 5am in search of the delicacy.
A few years ago the Allans made the move to Rotorua from the South Island.
"I was a salmon fisherman down south but, not long after we moved here, I tried to buy some whitebait from a chap in Kawerau," Mr Allan said.
"He wouldn't sell me any of his fresh whitebait so I went and bought myself a net."
The Allans were happy to pack the day's essentials into their campervan to catch whitebait.
"As long as he cleans it, prepares it and then cooks it, I'm happy to eat it," Mrs Allan said with a laugh.
The season runs from August 15 to November 30.www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/news/wait-for-whitebait-worth-the-effort/1510085
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 27, 2012 17:09:30 GMT 12
Tucking into nature's bestBy DON FARMER - Wairarapa Times-Age | Wednesday, 22 August 2012A whitebaiter checks his nets. — Photo: Glenn Taylor.WHITEBAIT SEASON is upon us again and this year I have vowed to heed the words of General Douglas MacArthur: "I shall return" to the shores of Lake Onoke in Wairarapa and fish for what is surely one of the world's most tasty morsels.
For the past couple of years I have failed to make time for whitebaiting and it has rankled. There are few experiences as pleasing on the palate as a good feed of whitebait, apart from paua and crayfish perhaps, and yet some people don't like them.
I think I know why, but readers may have other views. It seems to me few people, outside the hardy souls who turn up year on year to chase the 'bait, know how best to prepare them for eating, and yet it is so simple.
Whitebait needs very little preparing to be super tasty. My favourite way is simply to rub a little butter or oil into the frypan and tip them in.
Give them a minute of two and tip them out on to a nice, thick slice of toast, sprinkle on a little salt and get stuck in.
What could be more simple than that?
If you must make them into fritters then for goodness sake let them be whitebait fritters, not a heap of flour saturated with egg with the odd little whitebait peeping out from within. You may as well eat a scone.
Catching bait is one of the best ways of unwinding. If you are at the mouth of Lake Onoke scooping for them then it can be hard work, but if the 'bait are running you won't even notice the effort. Setting nets on the lake or river edges is much more leisurely and my wife and I often take that option and go well prepared for a day out. We fill the thermos, pack the coffee sachets, pre-cook a few "bangers", toss in a loaf of bread and away.
When you get settled at your spot — and providing fire bans are not in force — gather up a bit of driftwood and light a fire on the beach then roll a few potatoes into the embers to cook slowly. You will never taste a better spud.
Times like whitebaiting season are what makes life special in rural New Zealand and sets us apart from those from the "big smoke" who may well have expensive restaurants for dining out and wall-to-wall fast food outlets but many have never had the privilege of sitting at lake's edge tucking into nature's best, for free.
Eat ya heart out.www.times-age.co.nz/news/tucking-into-natures-best/1514204
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 27, 2012 17:20:14 GMT 12
Hokitika River danger ‘worst in memory’By CHERYL RILEY - The Greymouth Star | Thursday, 23 August 2012TAKE CARE: Maritime safe boating adviser, Max Dowell.WITH THE West Coast whitebait season just around the corner, anyone intending to fish the Hokitika River mouth is warned the conditions are the most dangerous of maritime safe boating adviser Max Dowell’s experience.
“Last year was bad enough but this year it is extremely dangerous — the worst in living memory,” Mr Dowell said.
All whitebaiters, and especially those fishing the Hokitika River mouth, were advised to wear a lifejacket.
“For $100 you can have a lightweight, comfortable lifejacket — the cheapest life insurance you can buy.”
He suggested whitebaiters fishing at the river mouth should have eyes in the back of their heads and be on constant alert for waves washing over the bar at high tide and in big seas.
The long sand bar driving towards the south was moving and dangerous, and a dividing channel in the middle was deep and the current was swift. Fishing on the island south of the channel was particularly dangerous.
In Canterbury, it was common practice to whitebait in the waves, and he feared for fishermen from the east coast fishing in the waves at Hokitika, unsuspecting of the strong surges of the Tasman Sea and the deep water at the river mouth.
The Hokitika beach was deep and starved for gravel since the river was pushing north below the Hokitika Bridge and cutting away the island, Mr Dowell said.
Meanwhile, Department of Conservation compliance officers are concerned about the age old problem of whitebaiters’ rubbish.
“Every year we ask whitebaiters not to leave rubbish behind,” compliance officer Ted Brennan said.
“Not only is it unsightly, but bits of iron and wood with nails end up on the beach. Plastic bags wash out to sea, where they persist for a long time and pose a danger to marine mammals.”
Mr Brennan said it was sheer laziness on the part of whitebaiters.
“After all they are happy to cart the stuff onto the river and just too lazy to cart it away again. “Our message to whitebaiters is to clean up after yourselves — it is our backyard as well as yours.”www.greystar.co.nz/content/hokitika-river-danger-%E2%80%98worst-memory%E2%80%99
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Post by Kiwithrottlejockey on Aug 27, 2012 19:26:39 GMT 12
Calls to outlaw sale of whitebait“It would allow them to breed more.”By MATT RILKOFF - Taranaki Daily News | Monday, 27 August 2012FAMILY AFFAIR: Ruby Collins, 7, her dad Brendan, “Grandpa”, and brother Oscar, 5, joined dozens of others on the banks of New Plymouth Waiwhakaiho in their hunt for whitebait.ANY MOVES to restrict whitebait catches should start by outlawing the selling of the native fish, recreational fishers say.
New Plymouth's Kerry Fleming has spent 40 years chasing the elusive creatures at Waiwhakaiho River and said it had not got any easier, nor more difficult, to catch enough for a fritter or two.
"There are enough regulations already."
"I just think you shouldn't be able to sell it," he said. "It would allow them to breed more in the bigger rivers."
"At least some of their habitat would be better for them," he said.
Calls are growing for tougher regulations governing whitebaiting, particularly the sale of them.
Department of Conservation river ranger Chris Annandale claims in the Waikato Times a lot of money changes hands during the whitebait season.
He knows of someone who allegedly sold $30,000 of whitebait, tax free, while collecting a sickness benefit.
Whitebait are the juveniles of five native species, including some that are threatened. There are no restrictions on how many whitebait a person can catch or possess and unlike every other native fish are not covered by the quota system.
The whitebait season in most of the country is open between August 15 and November 30, with fishing permitted between 5am and 8pm.
New Plymouth's John Schumacher said the quantities caught in most Taranaki rivers meant restrictions on amounts were not required.
"It's like with the paua."
"They don't grow very big and people around here don't get huge amounts of whitebait," he said.
Making whitebaiting illegal in alternate seasons would help rebuild the stocks but enough got up the river before and after the season that such restrictions were not necessarily needed.
Teenage whitebaiter Matt Smith was another who believed the sale of whitebait should be stopped.
"Because they are native fish aren't they," he said.www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/7552139/Calls-to-outlaw-sale-of-whitebait Whitebaiters passing time on the riverBy MATT BOWEN - Waikato Times | Monday, 27 August 2012WAITING GAME: Baiter Dean Naysmith hopes his net brings up a catch of whitebait from the lower Waikato River. — BRUCE MERCER/Fairfax NZ.IT'S A lousy winter morning on the lower Waikato River and the bait are more brown than white.
The water's thick with runoff after weeks of relentless rain. Giant black clouds roll in from the northwest, but under the thunder and rain 12 people are chasing tender juvenile freshwater fish on the sixth day of the whitebait season.
They all love the taste. Some give it to friends and family. Others sell it to make a buck. They would all like to eat more, to sell more or give more away, but there's just not as much around as there used to be.
Joshua Doughty, 17, should be at school in Tuakau but has the day off. He'll be lucky to get a thing on the banks of a muddy reserve a few hundred metres north of Tuakau Bridge.
By early afternoon he's got a fritter's worth. Joshua usually sells it — whitebait are one of a handful of native species that can be legally harvested and sold. They'll fetch between $55 and $65 a kilogram, but this batch is going to his grandfather.
Were Joshua cooking, he'd use his old man's recipe. "You get a couple of eggs, crack them in a bowl, add milk, whisk it until it's fluffy then add salt and pepper and a decent amount of whitebait and cook it in butter."
Downstream, Bernard Rawiri and his grandson Hoani Tapara are about to flee their stand as the thunder looms. They've had no luck so far. It's a bit early in the season and the water's too dirty. "But you just never know, aye," Mr Rawiri says. "You've got to be here all the time."
He's got a week off and will be down every day waiting for the sky, then the water, to clear and the net to fill. He's still waiting to use his simple recipe. "Good old eggs, bro. Just cook them in eggs, the old fritter, yolk and all. Duck eggs are the best, aye."
Dean Naysmith looks comfortable. His stand backs into trees near the "windies" section of the river. The stand is dry and cosy — the rain patters on the corrugated walls and roof. The radio's quiet, too, but the tattered Zane Grey cowboy novel is getting thumbed for the 11th time.
"The good guy always gets the woman in the end — that's the main thing," he says.
The truck driver took 10 days off work but the weather's been poor. Most of his catch has been glass eels, yet there's enough for a solid whitebait fritter.
In terms of regulating the fishery, he says most baiters are pretty strict with each other these days. If someone's seen poaching or breaking the rules, they'll get a tap on the shoulder. "It's not a joke anymore," he says. "I think everyone's realised now, that people take what they're allowed. In the old days, people didn't take much notice. They thought it was going to be here forever but in our lifetime the numbers are down."
When luck graces his net, he mixes one egg per pound of whitebait and the whole thing goes in the fry pan — more pancake than fritter.
Conservation Department river rangers Chris Annandale and Eric Pene are also out, checking that baiters abide by the rules. Most have time on their hands — beneficiaries, retired couples, the semi-retired. And a lot of money changes hands. Mr Annandale knows one who allegedly sold $30,000 of whitebait, tax free, while collecting a sickness benefit. Regulations should change, he reckons, but leaves it there.
Stu Muir is freer with his thoughts. He runs a dairy farm up the Aka Aka and has been restoring whitebait breeding grounds for years. The Waikato River Authority recently pumped $10,500 into his latest project — it's part of his effort to reverse the fishery's steady decline.
In the 1930s, 130 tonnes were caught, now it's about 10 tonnes. Mr Muir isn't against the sale of whitebait and he doesn't want to see the fishery commercialised in an effort to save it because it would then turn into a rich person's dish.
His farm runs 500 head of cattle that don't get near 5km of tidal creek bank. Waterways are fenced off, replanted with natives and he keeps on top of weeds and pests. "Not enough farms along here fence off their streams," he says. "But Fonterra's going to make them, so that's good."
If the fishery gets into a diabolical state, licensing won't fix it. "They'd have to stop it as a commercial gain, but unless you've protected the habitat, that's a waste of time too. The main thing is protecting the environment."www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/7551946/Whitebaiters-passing-time-on-the-river
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