End of whitebaiting in Southland?
If plans go ahead to ban the use of sock nets to catch whitebait many people believe the recreational industry that has existed for generations in Southland will be over.
Hundreds of people attended a public meeting in Invercargill yesterday to hear proposed changes to the management of whitebait.
Under the Improving Whitebait Management discussion document proposals include shortening the whitebait season, prohibiting fishing from some rivers for a set period of time and phasing out fishing equipment including sock nets, trap nets and screens.
The bulk of whitebaiters in Southland currently use sock nets.
Bevan Clark, who has been a whitebaiter for 47years, asked if sock nets were phased out, what should they use instead.
Department of Conservation freshwater technical advisor Jane Goodman said that if the discussion document proposals were not relevant to Southland rivers, then people should raise that as part of the submission process.
Trevor Hannah, who also sells and repairs nets, said that 90 per cent of whitebaiters in Southland used sock nets. After the meeting, Responsible Kiwi Whitebaiters Association president Darren Smith said banning sock nets would almost end recreational whitebaiting in the region.
While, whitebaiter Murray Swan said if sock nets were phased out the only practical method to recreational whitebait would be the use of box nets and these were not ideal in Southland as most waters fished in the region were below three metres deep.
During the meeting, Darren Smith also questioned why decommercialising whitebaiting was not considered in the proposals, which gained a large applause from the crowd.
‘‘So long as it’s commercialised there will be an ever decreasing stock from our rivers. The only way to solve this is though decommercialisation and why on earth is that not mentioned here?,’’ Smith said.
It was decided that the proposed options would meet the goal to create a healthy whitebait population but anyone should put a submission if they disagreed, Goodman said.
Submissions on the Improving Whitebait Management document and its proposals close at 9am on March 2.