Something fishy about whitebait plans

There’s something wrong with the Department of Conservation’s proposed changes to the whitebait fishery. There’s no other fishery in New Zealand where it’s an open buffet, all you can catch, free-for-all fishing.

With four of the fish in the whitebait catch classed as at-risk or threatened with extinction, the need for more rules on fishing is long overdue. Fixing these regulations has been tossed in the political ‘‘too hard’’ basket for decades.

Finally, last month the Department of Conservation proposed changes. But it left out any meaningful options like a catch limit, licence requirement, or data collection system. These are basic tools used to manage any fishing industry.

How can the department tasked with protecting these threatened animals let the industry continue without a catch limit, licence, or data collection? This sort of treatment would be considered outrageous for threatened native birds.

Instead, proposed changes include: a shorter fishing season, some ‘‘refuges’’ where fishing would be restricted, some gear changes, and ‘‘phasing out’’ the international sale of whitebait.

The changes would begin to help whitebait, but are small fry compared to those we actually need. They are a distraction from the real solutions, which are the simple tools used in almost every other fishery in New Zealand: a licence, catch limit, and data collection.

These meaningful changes are popular among fishers and conservationists alike. DOC’s own survey showed that 60 per cent of respondents agreed there should be a licence to fish, and 77 per cent agreed there should be a catch limit. So why would DOC decide to exclude these options from its proposed changes to whitebait management? It seems fishy.

It is important to remember that a sustainable fishery is predicated on the success of the five migratory species in the whitebait catch. If the adult populations collapse (and they are already in decline) there will be no whitebait fishing.

Native freshwater fish are in trouble due to many pressures: drained wetlands, polluted rivers, piping of streams, warming ocean temperatures, and algal blooms, to name just a few. Rebuilding damaged and destroyed habitat for whitebait to grow up into thriving adult populations is the long game. But basic rules can be implemented now to help relieve the pressure.

There’s also misinformation about. Some people are wrongly placing doubt into the public’s mind – questioning and denying the fact that these fish are threatened and at-risk. It’s not uncommon to hear fishers claim they have 60 years of ‘‘data’’ and that whitebait numbers in their local river are increasing.

One fisher’s catch on one river is not a proxy for a regional, national, or international classification of an entire species (let alone five species). The juvenile fish we catch as whitebait are one part of that fish’s life cycle. The population dynamics, and the extent and quality of habitat at each life phase, must be evaluated to determine the viability of the species.

The conservation status of our freshwater fish are the result of the country’s best scientists evaluating where fish are found, and the size of the populations where they are found. Nearly all adult whitebait fish species are not being found where we expect to find them. And when we do find them their populations are low, much lower than is sustainable. These native animals are threatened or at risk of extinction.

Catching a feed for the family is a timehonoured tradition in New Zealand and should continue as such. The very best way to ensure it can continue is to put basic restrictions on fishing.

We may have to wait decades before we have another chance to change whitebait management. This year’s changes must be meaningful if we hope to avoid the very real threat of extinction for our native fish. We’re urging DOC to get the basics of fishery management back on the table.