THE first short whitebait season is going down at Mōkau as one of the worst in memory. Jodie Death at the Mōkau Whitebait Inn says they will run out of frozen whitebait for fritters. “It’s not going to be around forever. Normally we would be able to hold it for 12 months but we will be lucky if we are through to January or February, I would say,” she said. “The season was terrible; I don’t know [why] just terrible. All those who would normally catch heaps, the old men who would come up and sit on the stands for days on end – nothing.
TERRIBLE “It was terrible, the worst some of them have ever known. Everyone had different theories. I’m not a whitebaiter, I wouldn’t know.” There was more whitebait in the inn’s freezers than there was in the river. The Whitebait Inn bought whitebait in from the West Coast to augment the local catch. “Normally we can get enough from around here and the West Coast to last 12 months. This year no, it won’t be. It’s a good thing we have good other food.” Starting this year, the whitebait season was six weeks shorter, from September 1 to October 30, instead of from August 15 to November 30. “DOC staff have heard many comments from whitebait fishers on King Country rivers and streams that the 2022 season has been a poor season in terms of whitebait catch,” Waikato senior community ranger Ray Scrimgeour said.
SIMILAR COMMENTS “We don’t have good information to compare this sort of anecdotal comment with previous years, but I have heard similar comments over the past 30 years. “Reported catch rates can be very variable even amongst experienced fishers working comparable stretches of river with similar methods. Not all whitebait fishers use weight as their measure of success and some whitebaiters have said they had a good season despite lower than hoped for catch weights. “Some people have kept very detailed records of their whitebait catch over many years. “If those people are happy to share that information with DOC, email whitebait@doc.govt.nz. We would be very happy to be entrusted with that valuable data.” The reason for DOC deciding upon a shorter season was to reduce fishing pressure on all whitebait, especially the most threatened species, and ensure the whitebaiting season was consistent throughout New Zealand.
VARIABLE DOC announced the new whitebaiting season dates in June 2021 as part of a three-year rollout of changes to whitebaiting regulations, following two years of public engagement. DOC freshwater species manager Emily Funnell said national reports on the season were variable. “We’ve had reports of a good season in some parts of the country and not so good in other places. Whitebait numbers have always been subject to yearly variations due to sea conditions, migrations and other lifecycle factors,” she said. “Unfortunately very little long-term data exists on whitebait fishing, such as where whitebaiters operate and how much they catch.”
SURVEY To address the gaps, DOC was conducting a whitebaiting survey, which closes on November 18. Whitebaiters were being counted and their fishing methods noted on the river, and by aerial surveys of the more remote spots. “The results of all this research will be available by early 2023. “The data collected provides a snapshot of whitebaiters, why and where they whitebait, and what gear they use. This information marks a point in time and covers a range of opinions and attitudes,” Emily said. She encouraged whitebaiters to take part in the voluntary, anonymous online whitebaiting survey at doc.govt.nz/whitebaiting. Participants could choose to go into a prize draw for a $100 fishing store voucher.
