Whitebait: What Are They?

A whitebait is a whitebait - or is it? Take a closer look next time you haul up your whitebait net - you might be surprised at what you find.

Whitebait are the babies of up to six varieties of New Zealand native fish. According to the Department of Conservation (DOC) the three most common species caught are galaxiids: inanga, kōaro and banded kokopu. Other fish such as giant kokopu, short jawed kokopu and smelt sometimes turn up in nets along with the young of other fish including eels, trout and cockabully.

Not much is known about the lifecycle of whitebait - what we do know is that they hatch in rivers during late autumn from where they head out to sea. They spend several months in the ocean growing before making the migration back up river in late winter and early spring. They begin their journey as the tide builds and use the surge of the waves to push them upstream. The whitebait gather together in shoals and make their way up the river. It's at this stage when whitebaiters get excited and haul out their nets - keen to get a feed of the little fish.

The whitebait that make it upstream settle in bush covered streams and swamps where they grow to adults. All varieties of whitebait like slightly different habitats - some, like the short jawed kokopu and giant kokopu live in swampy streams and ditches with muddy bottoms. Inanga prefer to be closer to the sea in lowland waters. Banded kokopu and kōaro like fast flowing streams that have rocks and tree cover.

DOC researchers think that the start of the migration downstream is influenced by river flows and phases of the moon. Whatever happens, when the moment is right the mature inanga migrate downstream and spawn in grasses along river and estuary edges, covered by water at spring tides. The eggs stay stuck to the grass until the next spring tide comes along when the tiny larvae, half the size of a pin, hatch and are carried out to sea. The adults often die, or are so exhausted they fall prey to birds and larger fish.

But there's a big problem. Whitebait habitats are being destroyed. Swamplands and streams are being drained, trees chopped down and stock are breaking down riverbanks. Culverts and weirs can prevent whitebait from swimming upstream. This all reduces places for the whitebait to spawn, and for them to live when they are older. And then there are those people who flaunt the rules…

In 2005, DOC programme manager species management, Bryan Williams, said the August to November months are the often busiest in his calendar. The New Plymouth-based officer's main role during this time is enforcing the regulations - checking that whitebaiters are following the rules set to protect whitebait numbers. "Most of the whitebaiters are very good – there are only a small percentage of them, because we are seen as an enforcement agent, who get a bit uptight - they're usually people who are trying to supplement their income by selling whitebait."

It's illegal in New Zealand to sell any native fish without a permit - apart from whitebait. In 2005, whitebait fetched up to $150 per kilogram in New Plymouth. Whitebaiters sold their catch to the shops for around $65 per kilogram. “This has been an exceptionally good season for some” said Bryan. One whitebaiter he knows of caught 25 kilograms in one day - which would have earned just over $1600. It's all perfectly legal - but not particularly fair. "The people who are trying to supplement their incomes are those we often have problems with," says the DOC officer. "They tend to cheat and make it difficult for everybody else."

These are the people who try and push the limits with the size of their nets, who use larger screens than legally allowed, who fish near culverts and creek entrances where whitebait congregate, and try to hide when DOC rangers come patrolling. And then there's those who jump start the season. Whitebait run all year around - but the months from August through to November are the best. Sometimes the whitebait will run early - heading upstream in July - keen whitebaiters watch the rivers and set their nets, despite it being illegal. DOC does prosecute illegal whitebaiters - last season six people were fined up to $5000.

In 2005. Bryan also worked with other Government departments and businesses, including Taranaki Regional Council and Fonterra, encouraging riparian planting to help protect whitebait habitats, working with the Resource Management Act to ensure any new developments won't harm habitats, and preserving remaining wetlands. "We're slowly getting back some of the habitat that was lost - particularly in Taranaki because of a consorted effort - but it's really only spawning habitat - a lot of the wetlands and stream habitats where the adult whitebait like to live have gone."