Mr Shanks was visiting family on the Gold Coast over the Christmas holiday period when he was stopped at customs at the airport and had his container of frozen whitebait inspected.
He had declared the whitebait on his customs form before arriving.
"There was about half a kilo of whitebait stored in the container. I had kept it frozen since September.
"Someone from customs took me aside and asked me whether the whitebait were gutted.
"I thought he was joking, but he was actually deadly serious."
"I’ve brought frozen whitebait into Australia in the past without any problems, but I was caught out this time.
"It’s a real shame, as it’s part of my tradition to cook up some whitebait as part of the entree to the family Christmas dinner."
He did not know how New Zealand whitebait could be gutted, Mr Shanks said.
Whitebait are the juveniles of five species of galaxiidae, a family of fish confined to the southern hemisphere.
They are translucent in appearance, and are about 4cm-5cm long.
"I can’t see how you can gut our [New Zealand] whitebait, as they haven’t really got a gut."
He was unlikely to be the only person to have been affected by the new rules.
"People have to be aware of the changes."
In New Zealand, whitebait is considered a delicacy, and the fishing season runs from September 1 to October 30 in most of the country, except for the Chatham Islands, where it runs from December 1 to the end of February.
An Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry spokeswoman said all species of fish imported into Australia for personal use, including whitebait, that could not be stored at room (or ambient) temperature must be eviscerated (or further processed) to remove internal organs that could carry exotic diseases.
"Eviscerating a fish means completely removing all internal organs from the fish’s body without cutting or puncturing the internal organs.
"The feasibility, or otherwise, of eviscerating (gutting) whitebait is a matter for the importer (traveller)."
The spokeswoman said travellers who brought fish for personal use, including whitebait, to Australia that required refrigeration or freezing before the package was opened, and were not eviscerated, could voluntarily dispose of, export, or forfeit the goods without penalty.
