Management key to whitebait's future

The whitebait fishery is a peculiar one — four of the six whitebait species are threatened or at risk of extinction, yet it is one of the few, if not the only, fishery that does not have a catch limit. Laura Smith takes a closer look at the reasons why.

As we enter the final month of the season, it is the last chance for most of the country to get out and catch a feed of whitebait.

Driving through Southland, it is typical to see fishermen at their stands.

As well as being a cultural tradition, whitebaiting is seen by many as a pleasant and productive way to spend a morning or afternoon.

Southland whitebaiter Ken Cochrane said the season so far had being going well, there being plenty of people out on the water.

However, it could mean future seasons might not be so positive if there was not enough escapement.

"If you get a really bad year, some people won't go fishing so you get more escapement ... so if you catch them all, what's going to happen next year? It's incredibly complex."

This can have a flow-on effect. If there is little recruitment of whitebait after one season, it can affect the number of whitebait in future seasons, meaning while there may be fewer people fishing, it does not change the fact there are fewer fish that can breed.

Department of Conservation Freshwater Manager South Elizabeth Heeg said there were multiple factors that influenced the size of whitebait populations from season to season.

"We know that ensuring a proportion of juveniles (whitebait) make it upstream to adult habitat is essential for the persistence of the species and the fishery. That's why it's important for whitebaiters to follow the whitebaiting regulations. Local stream conditions, weather e.g. heavy flushing rainfall, and loss of habitat impact on whitebait species."

Mr Cochrane is also a member of the Whitebait Working Group, which was established to help provide the Department of Conservation with information that can help whitebait management, particularly in areas of population health, find out what can be done to restore declined populations and to ensure a sustainable whitebait fishery.

Whitebait season

• The whitebaiting season runs from August 15 until November 30 everywhere except the West Coast of the South Island, where it runs from September 1 to November 14.
• Fishing is permitted only between 5am and 8pm or, during daylight saving, between 6am and 9pm.

This is separate to the Conservation (Indigenous Freshwater Fish) Amendment Bill that was passed a few weeks ago.

The Bill focuses mainly on indigenous freshwater fish as a whole, but also covers the whitebait fishery.

Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage said in a press release, "the legislation enables the Director-general of Conservation to introduce authorisation for whitebaiting in conservation areas if necessary in future, to better manage whitebaiting".

"Any new authorisation process will not come into force any earlier than two years after the Bill becomes law. There will be public consultation on any changes to the whitebaiting regulations."

Mr Cochrane said the lack of regulations, in particular a catch limit, in the whitebait fishery was a cause of stress on the six species.

"Social rules work in some circumstances ... when it comes to fisheries, the lack of legislative rules in the whitebait industry is essentially a lot to do with the problems."

From the consultation period between the working group and Doc several possible outcomes to protect the species and ensure sustainable fishing were listed: habitat protection and restoration, changes to the whitebait regulations covering fishing gear, whitebait seasons, and closed areas as well as conducting science and research to address knowledge gaps.

Ms Heeg said that Doc was encouraging people to support local initiatives to restore spawning and adult whitebait habitat and to reduce the effect on our freshwater environment.

"If people see overhanging culverts or other barriers that stop whitebait moving upstream, they are asked to please contact their local Doc or Regional Council office."

She said Doc patrolled whitebait sites and talked to whitebaiters throughout the whitebait seasons to ensure people were complying with the regulations - illegal whitebaiting carried a maximum fine of $5000 and whitebaiting equipment could be seized.

"Work is currently under way to improve whitebait management, with 90% of respondents to a Doc survey saying that changes are needed to make New Zealand's whitebait fishery sustainable.

"We plan to release a discussion document for public consultation later this year, with proposals to improve whitebait management."

She said of about 2870 survey responses received by Doc in 2018-19, 39% of whitebait fishers reported their catches had declined in the last decade.

The West Coast has its own regulations for whitebait fishing, and Ms Heeg said the West Coast Sustainable Wild Whitebait Project focuses on identified individual enhancement sites.

"There has been some monitoring put in place, but it is too early to report on any results.

"This project model could be rolled out in other locations depending on how the work progresses."