Rivers in the South are expected to be clear for the start of the whitebait season today.
Department of Conservation freshwater ranger Pete Ravenscroft, of Dunedin, said he had no early reports of whitebait, but with the recent warm weather the rivers should be clear. That was good for whitebait, which generally did not like running up dirty rivers.
''Fingers crossed, it should be good season,'' he said.
The season begins around the country today, except for the West Coast, where it starts on September 1.
Doc was seeking copies of whitebaiters' catch diaries. Anonymity could be guaranteed, Mr Ravenscroft said.
Doc was interested in understanding whether it was true that, as whitebaiters said, every third year was good for whitebaiting. Doc also wanted to enhance whitebait spawning habitats.
''We're trying to get our poor years to become good years, and our good years to become excellent years.''
Anyone interested in helping with the project should contact their local Doc office.
Further north, whitebaiters in Christchurch were told to avoid the city's rivers, because of faecal contamination.
Health experts said even before the earthquakes, Christchurch waterways were contaminated with duck and dog faeces and rarely met recreational water standards.
Since the quakes, there was an additional risk of human faecal contamination.
- Additional reporting APNZ
