Whitebaiting 2020

The new whitebaiting season begins this month and no one is more excited than Peter Langlands. He shares some valuable insights for the 2020 season and lets us know how we can best protect this iconic species.

The main whitebaiting season is just around the corner. Despite a lot of discussion in recent years about changes to whitebaiting regulations, they will remain the same for the upcoming season. The main whitebaiting season begins on August 15 and continues to November 30 (with a shorter season on the South Island’s west coast from September 1 to November 14). There is also a whitebaiting season on the Chatham Islands which runs from December 1 to February 28/29 (depending on the year).

The Chathams are certainly becoming a popular “overseas tourist destination” given recent restrictions on international travel. DOC is in charge of the fishery and regulations, which can be found on their website – http://www.doc.govt.nz/whitebait. The 2020 season is likely to be the last under the current regulations as new regulations will come into effect in 2021.

It pays to have a range of techniques up your sleeve when heading out whitebaiting. Scoop netting the incoming surf on the stony beaches of Canterbury’s Coastline is a distinctive style with the Temuka scoop net often being used. It is hard work and risky. Life vests need to be worn – at least one whitebaiter is swept off their feet into the surf each season. Larger scoop nets are used in bigger river mouths to work the lagoons and river channels with gentler currents. Set-netting is the most relaxing and popular form of whitebaiting, and popular on the edges of large slow-moving rivers.

Scoop netting is an effective way to fish fast flowing river mouths at locations such as the Hurunui.

Every location has its own techniques which have proven themselves over the decades. So, it is a matter of watching the locals and then gearing up yourself. I like to get out early in the season to suss out the effective techniques before the big runs come through later on.

The best catches of whitebait are often made a few days either side of the full moon, on the highest of tides. Having tide tables on hand will allow you to predict the best times to go out. The better catches of whitebait are usually made after there has been some rain, which slightly increases river-flow. I prefer overcast days for whitebaiting, but if whitebaiting on a sunny day, pay close attention to the riverbanks as the bait will often run hard up against the bank.

While the season can be slow in August and September, October and November make up for this. The combination of increasing water temperatures and a spring tide, perhaps after a little rain, will create the ideal conditions for baiting. On any day, it is often the final push of the incoming tide that will see the biggest whitebait shoals coming in. Having a range of whitebait nets ready to go at short notice is important. For all the time that people spend whitebaiting, I would dare to say that 95% of the whitebait is caught within a 5% time period. Timing is everything.

During whitebaiting season, there are many whitebait nets along the beach at Waikuku marking each fisherman's spot while they wait for the right tide.

In regions where good spawning whitebait habitat remains, there are still strong runs of whitebait. It is important that community groups, DoC and landowners protect and enhance river margins. By creating and enhancing habitat for whitebait, we are likely to improve the habitat for other fisheries too such as flounder, eel and even sea-run trout, as well as for endangered wetland birds such as the Australasian bittern which requires reed environments. I would like to see a basic license for whitebaiting recreationally which provides funds for the purchase of wetland areas to enhance and create further whitebaiting habitat.

We must treasure and respect our opportunity to go whitebaiting as it is an important part of our national identity and provides us with a strong connection to our fresh waterways. It is also a gateway for many younger people to spend time out with their relatives, encouraging an intergenerational appreciation for our wetlands. Going out with family or friends to catch just enough whitebait for a decent fresh feed is the approach I personally promote. The experience of catching the whitebait is as much a part of the equation as eating it. To see whitebait as a bulk commodity to be harvested in as large amounts as possible is not, in my opinion, the future of whitebaiting.

The whitebait pattie is an iconic NZ dish.

As all of us whitebaiters spend a lot of time along our waterways, we have a responsibility to report any environmental impacts we see when whitebaiting, particularly in locations otherwise well out of sight of the general public.

Ultimately, it is about looking after the whitebait’s habitat and the environment. How well we do this will determine the future our whitebait fishery. We all have a responsibility to report any illegal whitebaiting activity we see (such as the blocking of small streams) as people who flout the liberal regulations are cheating us all. If someone is breaking the regulations, have a friendly chat first and make them aware, and then if they persist, report them. You should also take the time to release any unwanted fish such as smelt, cockabullies and glass eels. Whitebaiters have the opportunity to take on the role of guardians of our fresh waterways.

Finally, social media is also playing a part and gives whitebaiters another way to meaningfully connect with other anglers. The Kiwi Whitebaiters group on Facebook is good for sharing information – it has over 7500 members so there is always something happening! Social media is a great way to learn new techniques too. The innovation is infinite!