Big whitebaiting changes mooted
A proposal to ban whitebaiting on some rivers for up to 10 years has been labelled ‘‘disgraceful’’ by a West Coast mayor.
Proposals for managing the decline of whitebait in New Zealand were released for public consultation by the Department of Conservation (DOC) yesterday.
The proposals include banning exports, restricting the equipment used, limiting upstream fishing, reducing the length of the season and closing some rivers for up to 10 years.
Westland mayor Bruce Smith said most of the proposals ‘‘makes perfect sense’’ but the proposal to close large West Coast rivers was ‘‘disgraceful’’.
‘‘If you look at the areas proposed for closure... the West Coast has a greater area than all of the other areas combined,’’ he said.
DOC has been reviewing the whitebait fishery since 2018 because it says four of the six whitebait species are classified as ‘‘at risk’’ or ‘‘threatened’’.
Smith said he was concerned that the Minister of Conservation Eugenie Sage had sole discretion on whether to close certain rivers to whitebaiting for 10 years and beyond. ‘‘It’s an attack on the West Coast. Something that historically has been the right of West Coasters is now in the hands of Minister Sage. She is judge and jury. No-one in their right mind would be comfortable with that.’’
The discussion document says whitebait are an important part of Kiwi culture. ‘‘They are taonga to iwi and fishing for whitebait is an important tradition for many New Zealanders. But changes are needed to conserve whitebait species and ensure the future of whitebait fishing,’’ it says.
The proposals to help restore whitebait populations are aimed at creating a nationally consistent approach. The West Coast season, at nine weeks, is already shorter than elsewhere, and the region has restrictions on upstream fishing.
West Coast Whitebaiters Association president Cheryl Riley said she was pleased the rest of the country would be brought into line with the restrictions already in place on the West Coast. Sixty-one rivers on the West Coast are already closed to whitebaiting even during the whitebait season, which runs from September 1 to November 14.
Public discussion sessions will be held around New Zealand in January and February. Submissions close on March 2.