“WHITEBAIT”

[Deleted]

Making the Otaki river more fish friendly

News Release - Greater Wellington Regional Council | Tuesday, 29 March 2011

GREATER WELLINGTON is trialling a new floodgate device to allow native fish and their juveniles (whitebait) more time to migrate between the sea and freshwater upstream.

Biodiversity Restoration Adviser Anna Burrows says a new fish friendly attachment consisting of a cantilever and counterweight will be fitted to the Otaki River floodgate in early April so that it closes more slowly, allowing fish more time to move upstream on the incoming tide.

“Many of our whitebait need to migrate upstream where they spend their adult lives in our rivers before swimming back downstream to breeding grounds to lay their eggs.”

“Floodgates play a critical part in protecting our communities from floods but they can also keep out whitebait as they swim upstream on the incoming tide because they close too quickly.”

“This device is designed to help keep the floodgate open long enough for whitebait to move upstream, while not impeding the operation of the floodgate in any way — it won’t prevent flow to the sea during flood events.”

Because the floodgate closes more slowly, more salt water will flow upstream above the gate increasing the length of the stream where whitebait can breed. Increasing the periods when flows occur will encourage a more natural habitat for our native fish and some of our aquatic invertebrates, Anna says.

“It’s still early days but if the device is successful we will look at installing it on floodgates in other parts of the region.”

How does the fish friendly gate work?

• At low tide counter-weights keep the flap open.

• As the water rises the fish friendly gate delays the closing moment.

• The rising water continues to push and hold the flap closed as usual.

• During up-stream flood events the secondary hinge-point allows the gate to over-ride the closing mechanism and open fully to expel the flood waters.

______________________________________

Fish-friendly rivers talk

When: Tuesday 05 April at 3pm.

Where: Otaki Memorial Hall (Main Hall).

Specialist Environmental Engineer and passionate conservationist Kelly Hughes of ATS Environmental will give a talk about obstacles in rivers, how they affect fish and new innovations that can be used to help our native species negotiate them.

Anyone is welcome, tea & coffee and biscuits to be provided.

RSVP to , or call Anna on 027 612 0790.

www.gw.govt.nz/making-the-otaki-river-more-fish-friendly

[Deleted]

Spawn site protection

By HELENA de REUS - Otago Daily Times | Saturday, 02 April 2011


Farmers learn about whitebait habitats and how to protect them at an Otago Regional Council
open day on the Gilbert farm at Inch Clutha last month. — Photo: Otago Regional Council.

FARMERS with land beside waterways in the Clutha district are learning how to help boost populations of a tiny fish that is a favourite treat for many Southerners.

About 35 farmers attended a field day run by the Otago Regional Council on Dean Gilbert's property in Inch Clutha, near Balclutha, last month.

They were told by Department of Conservation freshwater ranger Pete Ravenscroft how the eggs of inanga — tiny native fish which make up most of the whitebait catch — are laid above the normal water level on the moist, grassy banks of rivers and streams.

"Pete showed us that we can protect their habitats with a single [electric fence] wire," Mr Gilbert said.

He said he had fenced off 3km to exclude stock from a valuable whitebait-spawning area on the Clutha Mata-Au, which bordered his property.

"We fenced it off five years ago. We don't want cows upsetting the fish — we're fishermen too," he said.

Cows were not the only stock to upset fish, he said. One deer farmer mentioned deer often upset whitebait and other fish by wallowing in creeks and rivers.

Otago Regional Council land resources officer Alice Webster said inanga needed grassy edges on which to spawn, so where there was no permanent fence, a simple electrified "hot-wire" kept out stock, protecting the eggs from being trampled or eaten by stock. The move also helped improve water quality.

Whitebait populations had been declining for many years, she said.

The field day also looked at environmentally beneficial farm practices Mr Gilbert has put in place on his property. They include cambered laneways to keep waste from running into drains, yard water diversion and effluent management.

Ms Webster said the Gilbert farm was a good example of a dairy farmer taking actions with positive environmental outcomes.

Inanga eggs, laid during the high spring tides from January through to May, take a month to hatch before washing out to sea. March is generally the peak time for inanga to spawn on the Clutha River.

www.odt.co.nz/news/farming/154385/spawn-site-protection

[Deleted]

Search for Wairoa whitebait spawning sites

By ROGER MORONEY - Hawke's Bay Today | Tuesday, 05 April 2011


HIDDEN: Wairoa DOC officer Hans Rook looks for whitebait
eggs in Huramua Stream, a tributary of Wairoa River.
— Photo: Hawke's Bay Today.

ASK ANY "veteran" whitebaiter in Hawke's Bay about how the fishing has been over the past couple of seasons and they are likely to remark that it's not been a patch on how it was "back in the old days".

While the Department of Conservation had no exact figures on the falling catches, whitebaiters have noticed the numbers dropping, and a survey on where the elusive whitebait are spawning around the Wairoa region is aimed at addressing that fall.

"Just where are the whitebait laying their eggs?" is the question asked by Helen Jonas, a biodiversity ranger for DOC in Wairoa.

"If we can find out where whitebait are spawning, then we can take measures to protect these sites if needed."

She said veteran whitebaiters were the most knowledgeable when it came to working out where the elusive "galaxiids" start their lives and she wanted to hear from any who knew, or came across, spawning grounds.

The little fish lay eggs among vegetation on stream edges when water levels were high in autumn. The eggs mature over a few weeks and when water levels rose again the eggs hatch and the larvae float out to sea, where they live through winter before returning in spring.

"They have exacting requirements for suitable spawning sites," Ms Jonas said.

"If these sites are protected they will return year after year."

In recent years research had shown that polluted rivers and streams were mainly responsible for the disappearing whitebait, along with agriculture and flood-protection schemes, which had limited their territory.

"We want to hear from anyone with local knowledge of spawning sites.

These can be anywhere from the Mohaka, Wairoa, Waihua, Nuhaka and Kopuawhara Rivers and anywhere in between."

Anyone with information on spawning sites can call Ms Jonas on [phone] or Bryan Welch at the Napier DOC office on 834 4841.

www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/search-for-wairoa-whitebait-spawning-sites/3947114

[Deleted]

Two ‘lazy and disrespectful’ whitebaiters fined for breach

By KATEE SHANKS - Rotorua Daily Post | Saturday, 16 April 2011



TWO Whakatane men have paid the price for flouting whitebaiting regulations.

Travis Tane, 21, and Terrance Nathan, 39, both appeared in the Whakatane District Court before Community Magistrate Robyn Patterson, on charges of breaching the Whitebait Fisheries Act.

The court heard how on October 07 last year, Tane was seen by a Department of Conservation ranger fishing within 20m of a structure, in this case the Orini floodgates.

Whitebait regulations say no person shall fish for whitebait within 20m of any tide gate, floodgate, confluence or culvert, or fish from any bridge, or from any vessel.

Department of Conservation area manager for Gisborne and Whakatane, Andy Bassett, said there were a number of signs at the Orini floodgates saying it was illegal to whitebait fish within 20m.

Tane was fined $300 and court costs of $132.

On the same day Nathan was fined $400 and court costs of $132 for fishing within 20m of the Orini floodgate. Nathan also had his net confiscated.

Like Tane, Nathan was seen by a ranger breaching the regulations.

Mr Bassett said he was pleased with the convictions.

"We hope these most recent convictions will make people think twice before breaking the regulations in future," Mr Bassett said.

"Both the offenders' actions in fishing within a restricted area show them to be lazy and disrespectful whitebaiters."

He said regulations were in place to protect the whitebait fishery.

"Whitebait fishing is enjoyed by a large number of people in Whakatane and is a resource that is not infinite."

www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/local/news/two-lazy-and-disrespectful-whitebaiters-fined-for-/3948382

[Deleted]

Fishing close to gates costs

SunLive | Tuesday, 03 May 2011

A 39 year old man is having to pay a $1000 fine after being found guilty of whitebait fishing within 20 metres of the Orini floodgates.

Matiu Hohua was sentenced in the Whakatane District Court to pay the fine and $130 court costs for his actions on September 17 and 21, when he was observed fishing by the floodgate.

There are five signs at the floodgates indicating that is illegal to whitebait fish within 20 metres of them.

Department of Conservation Gisborne Whakatane area manager Andy Bassett says people must fish by the rules or face prosecution.

“We are very pleased with this outcome, the assistance of the police in apprehending Mr Hohua is also very good,” says Andy.

“We hope that by now people get the message strongly, Mr Hohua was a repeat offender and justice was served.”

www.sunlive.co.nz/news/12796-fishing-close-to-gates-costs.html

[Deleted]

Pest fish putting native whitebait at risk

By VICKI WATERHOUSE - Manawatu Standard | Wednesday, 18 May 2011

PEST FISH that attack native fish could lead to native whitebait being wiped out in some lowland Manawatu waterways.

The pest fish have been found in high numbers in Manawatu.

Surveys were carried out more than a decade after extensive investigations by the Department of Conservation revealed high numbers of gambusia and koi carp.

Some eradication work was done and public awareness increased of how to curb the infestation.

Ecologists Natasha Petrove and Ursula Brandes were employed by DOC to see the effects of that eradication 10 years down the track.

The gambusia fish, also known as mosquito fish, is found in several Manawatu waterways.

The fish was introduced to New Zealand to control mosquito populations. However, it was discovered native fish were much better at it and gambusia were attacking native fish by nipping at their fins and eyes. They also competed with native fish for habitat and food.

Gambusia bred quickly and could quickly outnumber native fish.

"Unfortunately, we've now got these very aggressive, invasive little fish in lots of waterways," Miss Petrove said.

"This could lead to our native whitebait species being excluded from lowland waterways."

The gambusia appeared to be taking hold. Ecologists have recorded sightings in several sites in Manawatu, including Makowhai Stream near Sanson and Burke's Drain just south of Palmerston North.

"This is a shame, as they are very difficult to control once they are established in flowing water," Miss Petrove said.

Koi carp were less of a problem but were destructive in high numbers. They were released into waterways as ornamental fish, but deteriorated water quality and competed with native fish for their habitat.

Koi carp were only found in one of the sites surveyed by the ecologists, but were believed to be more widespread than the surveying revealed, with many people reporting sightings in other areas.

DOC said people spread these fish both accidentally and on purpose. Pest fish such as gambusia and koi carp could be inadvertently released into new waterways through transferring plants such as oxygen weed and water lilies.

Fish eggs and fry could be transported on leaves.

www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5019666/Pest-fish-putting-native-whitebait-at-risk

[Deleted]

Hutt River clogged with ooze and toxic algae

By PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 21 May 2011


UNHEALTHY FOR WHITEBAIT: The Hutt Valley's treasured river. — Photo: The Dominion Post.

THE HUTT RIVER is bordered by paths, lined with parks, and peppered with swimming spots. It is the Hutt Valley's playground, but its duties do not end there. It is also the source of most of the drinking water for the Hutt and Wellington.

The river is under pressure. Toxic algae blooms plague it during summer and are believed responsible for the deaths of nine dogs.

Wastewater still flows into the river during wet weather about six times a year when the amount of water exceeds the capacity of the stormwater system.

A proposal to take up to 17 million extra litres a day from the Hutt River may pose a new threat.

Greater Wellington regional council has applied to cut the river's minimum flow for three years during work on water storage lakes at Kaitoke. The work will increase storage by 13 per cent and earthquake-strengthen the lakes.

Hutt city councillors backed the proposal with several caveats, including a halt to the extra take if the river's health suffers.

Councillor Max Shierlaw opposes the plan. "It is likely to reduce the water quality of the river, lead to increased instances of algal bloom because the conditions needed — low flow and warm water — will happen more often."

It highlights a lack of planning for extra water needs by Greater Wellington, he says. "They have no medium-term options and are resorting to trashing a significant regional asset."

CONCERNS about the health of the river led to the formation of the Friends of the Hutt River group this year. "You don't live in the Hutt Valley for the shopping. You live there because of the hills, the beauty of the place, and the river flowing through it," member Pat van Berkel says.

Toxic algal blooms, pollution and low water flows are the group's main worries.

"People are always saying when they were growing up, the Hutt River was full of water."

As the population grows, pressure on the river will increase. "They will all need water, and that's where it all comes from."

Toxic algal blooms stop people using the river at the height of summer. "It's quite a subtle effect, but it's taking away something that is very important," Mr van Berkel says.

Waiwhetu means "star-reflecting water". But poisoned by years of industry waste, the Waiwhetu Stream became the most polluted waterway in the region.

Once home to eels, whitebait and watercress, the stream instead hosted "Waiwhetu ooze", a black sludge, thick with traces of lead, copper, arsenic, zinc and mercury.

A $21 million project to scrape the ooze from the stream's banks wrapped up a year ago, with 56,000 tonnes of contaminated waste removed.

However, Hutt City Council still discharges wastewater, containing untreated sewage, into the stream during storms.

This week, 50,000 litres of treated effluent a day was pumped into the lower Waiwhetu Stream, after a joint in the main sewer pipeline failed at Eastbourne. From there, it flowed into Wellington Harbour. Repairs took four days.

Ted Taylor, Greater Wellington's environmental monitoring and investigations manager, says the Hutt River is "one of the better rivers in the region". Its upper reaches are in "excellent" health, its middle section "excellent to good", and its lower reaches "good to fair".

That is typical for a river flowing from the hills through farmland and an urban area to the sea, he says.

"You see a decline in clarity, and an increase in algal growth."

Threats to the river include runoff from stormwater drains, likely to increase as the population grows.

People need to realise that whatever goes into the stormwater system ends up in the river, and ultimately, Wellington Harbour, Mr Taylor says.

"If that can happen, we like to think we can maintain the water quality of the river."

Despite the $21m cleanup, the Waiwhetu Stream's quality remains poor. It has low levels of dissolved oxygen, poor clarity, and high levels of ammonia, zinc and nutrients.

Although the cleanup scraped thousands of tonnes of contaminated sludge from its banks, the stream still passes through industrial and suburban stretches, picking up contaminants along the way.

Zinc comes from car-tyre fragments, or washes off galvanised roofs. The presence of ammonia is a tell-tale sign of cross-connections - wastewater systems hooked up to stormwater drains, Mr Taylor says.

"It can be through poor plumbing practices. It may be done deliberately as an easy way out, or it can be a mistake."

Te Atiawa iwi representative Teri Puketapu says the Hutt River and Waiwhetu Stream are of great importance to Maori.

The Hutt River is feeling the strain of a growing population. "When I grew up, all of Naenae was market gardens."

The Waiwhetu was once an important source of food, such as eels and watercress.

"But I don't take anything from it now, and I don't know anyone who does," Mr Puketapu says.

www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5035910/Hutt-River-clogged-with-ooze-and-toxic-algae

[Deleted]

Water heaters stolen from whitebaiters' huts: police

The Southland Times | Tuesday, 24 May 2011

THIEVES had stolen hot-water cylinders from at least seven whitebaiters' huts near the mouth of the Mataura River, police said.

All the huts, near Fortrose, were broken into during the past week and a four-wheel-drive vehicle was most likely used to get to the area from the Gorge Road highway, Waituna Lagoon entrance, Constable Craig Colyer, of Invercargill, said yesterday.

Anyone who might have seen suspicious activity was urged to contact the police, he said.

While police were not making a link between the thefts and high scrap-metal prices, prices have continued to spiral during the past five years.

In 2006, thieves targeting water cylinders — which have a copper inner — to take advantage of soaring scrap metal prices also made headlines in The Southland Times.

www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5044697/Water-heaters-stolen-police

[Deleted]

Up the creek: Auckland's dirtiest stream?

By ISSAC DAVISON - Weekend Herald | Saturday, 28 May 2011


NO WHITEBAIT HERE: John Smith looks
over the waters of the Puhinui Stream.
— Photo: Greg Bowker.

A VOLUNTEER CLEAN-UP at Puhinui Stream, which winds through and under Auckland's south-western suburbs, once pulled "an entire student flat" from its waters.

"A washing machine, a fridge and a couch, all jammed in one corner" says Wai Care co-ordinator Andrew Jenks, who has led replanting and clean-up work there for 10 years.

In a day, volunteers filled two 6x6m skips with junk — tyres, rubbish bags, bikes, whiteware, road signs, shopping trolleys, paper, carpet and plastic food baskets.

As development has intensified in the area in the last 20 years, the 12km stream's middle sections have become a dumping ground. Long-time volunteer John Smith, 80, says the most recent working bee pulled an entire motorbike and car wreck from the stream's banks.

In March last year, a cement spill killed around 500 eels, some of them 50 years old. It was a "heartbreaking" moment for volunteers, many of whom work tirelessly to prevent the waterway becoming a wasteland.

Aucklanders orientate themselves through the road network. From above, motorways, not rivers, are the most distinctive shapes. But 10,000km of narrow streams — nearly all less than 2 metres wide — wend behind houses, through parks and under bridges.

The latest monitoring carried out by the former Auckland Regional Council found Puhinui was the dirtiest stream out of the thirty-one it tested.

Jenks says the tests are misleading because they were taken at the stream's dirtiest point.

But Puhinui's visible and measurable changes from top to bottom show the stress which development places on waterways.

Though junk and pollution events influence the stream's poor state, the most harmful pollutants are more insidious. Solvents, stormwater, and the slow trickle of manganese, cadmium and toxins make their way in from roads and nearby factories.

A Weekend Herald walk along the Puhinui's length found it was a tale of two streams.

Trickling out of Totara Park in Manurewa, you could mistake the top of Puhinui stream for a pristine part of the Waitakeres. Crystal-clear water cuts beneath a canopy of ferns and rata, the quiet only disturbed by tuis singing and truant schoolkids swimming in one of its shallow pools.

As soon as the Puhinui slips under the Southern Motorway, the dirty stamp of development begins to show. The water is still clean, but traffic cones, tyres and corrugated iron punctuate the stream bed.

The waterway is then piped under the new southwestern motorway twice, and despite pockets of replanted banks, its canopy is mostly stripped away, until it emerges, murky, from between a row of factories.

This is where the stream was monitored by the ARC. The 2010 River Quality report says it regularly exceeds acceptable levels of pollutants — nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc — and one in five of its tests failed to return an acceptable level of health.

This meant a fifth of the time it could not sustain its own ecosystem: fish, invertebrates, birds, and plant life would struggle to survive in it.

An "acceptable" temperature to sustain life in the stream is 21°C. On several tests, the stream had warmed to 24.7°C.

The Puhinui's water, tainted by the waste of the suburbs, sluices into the Manukau Harbour.

Environmental scientist Neil Mitchell, from the University of Auckland, says most Aucklanders do not make the connection between the city's urban streams and its prized harbours.

"If we were to get the streams cleaned up, the harbour would be clean. I wouldn't dream of eating shellfish from the harbours, because I know about all the stuff that goes off the land into the streams."

He reminisces about the time, 30 years ago, when children used to net whitebait at the mouths of the city's urban streams.

"As some Maori say: ‘The ocean starts at the mountaintop’. The water carries all our pollutants, whether it's from the road or your back garden. Water is what links all aspects of the environment."

To illustrate the connectivity of ecosystems, Jenks cites a stream restoration project in the Whaingaroa Harbour in Raglan. In 1994, before the restoration, it took an average of 12 hours to catch a fish in the harbour. After eight years of work on the waterways which flowed into the harbour, that was drastically reduced — to 12 minutes.

There are many priorities for the restoration of the Puhinui — preventing downstream pollution, conserving native species, protecting public health, and improving aesthetic value. But is it salvageable?

Auckland Council research, investigations and monitoring manager Grant Barnes says to raise Puhinui to an "excellent" water standard (like the Cascades in Waitakere) would require bulldozing of the suburbs which crowd its sides.

Barnes says Puhinui suffers from urban stream syndrome. Urbanised areas create lots of hard, impervious surfaces — roofs, playgrounds, carparks — which do not let water feed through the soil and into the waterways. This means the stream is often too warm to support aquatic life, more prone to flooding, and does not have a steady flow to flush out contaminants.

The council is looking to introduce low impact urban design, such as swales — indents to manage runoff and trap contaminants — but the uptake is slow, and retrofitting is costly to the ratepayer.

Barnes says complete conservation is probably unattainable, but mitigation is possible.

Everyone who works on the stream agrees on one crucial factor — community buy-in.

Dr Mitchell says: "The council cannot find the money to fix all these things. People are just not aware of the streams in their backyards. If 1.4 million people took just a little more care, that's a huge effect."

Unitec senior lecturer in landscape architecture Matthew Bradbury says Auckland should aspire to beautifying urban streams as much as its waterfront.

"The waterfront is great if you're rich. But Aucklanders can re-orientate themselves."

He says the first step is building walkways and cycle paths alongside streams, which draws residents' attention to spaces otherwise fenced off, or sliding behind factories.

"This isn't Utopian — it's already in place, in the North Shore, in Waitakere," said Bradbury.

But community involvement can be light on the ground near the Puhinui. Jenks says South Auckland is a hard-working environment where both parents have jobs and don't have much time for conservation.

Therefore Wai Care focuses on recruiting children, hoping they will grow up with green ideals. This has led to some heartening moments — 65 kids from Wiri Central School recently gave up their lunch hour to plant trees by the stream.

"Sixty-five kids! From a hard school. And they worked like hell," says Jenks. "It was beyond heartening. You can never second-guess what kind of interest might be out there. You've got to just dig in and keep doing it."

Amid the council's struggle to improve the stream's water quality, it has had some successes — a network of fish ladders allows native fish to use it as a corridor to their ideal habitat.

In Barnes' words, "There is a surprising amount of life in there. These streams are more than just conduits for waste, if Aucklanders cared to look ..."

www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10728498

[Deleted]

$100k fix on silt in Judea stream

Bay of Plenty Times | Wednesday, 01 June 2011


Feathers ruffled, a Pukeko flies across
the Kopurererua Stream.

FLOODING PROBLEMS in one of Tauranga's biggest industrial areas are to be fixed by dredging of Kopurererua Stream.

Twenty-two years of siltation since the council took over maintenance of the stream has seen water levels rise until they affected the operation of storm water outlets in the Judea industrial area, particularly those draining parts of Birch Avenue.

And while the problem is not as bad as the flooding in parts of the Mount Maunganui industrial area, the council yesterday decided to spend up to $100,000 dredging the final 300-400m of the stream from the end of Koromiko Street to the estuary.

"If we don't dredge it, it will become a great wetland for whitebait, but not so good for an industrial park," said Councillor Terry Molloy.

Council drainage manager Graeme Dohnt said silt had built up around the hinged metal plates at the ends of several drainage pipes, causing the floodgates to jam and allow water from the storm-swollen stream to run back into Birch Avenue at high tide.

He said the stream was regularly dredged when the area was part of the former Tauranga County Council and later when it came under the catchment board.

"Then we took it over and the river has not been dredged."

The alternative to dredging was to spend $2 million building a pump station.

Commercial premises were flooded during the January 29 storm this year.

Mr Dohnt said the waters only just entered the the front of building around 50 Birch Avenue. The bow wave from vehicles driving through the flooded street accentuated the problem.

www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/local/news/100k-fix-on-silt-in-judea-stream/3954129

---

Mayor admires green school project

By CHRIS STEEL - Bay of Plenty Times | Thursday, 02 June 2011


Western Bay Mayor Ross Paterson with Katikati Primary
School Room 22 pupils and their native trees.

A LIVELY Room 22 at Katikati Primary School kept questions firing for Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Ross Paterson during a recent visit.

The mayor was keen to catch up with the work the senior students of Class 22 had achieved last year during their unit on town planning. As part of the unit, they chose the Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Town Centre Plan as inspiration for their special project.

They chose a strip of vacant land beside the Uretara Stream to landscape as a green space featuring native tree species that would also serve to enhance the outlook for the neighbouring residents of Highfields.

The students worked with Amanda Besley from Wild About New Zealand to learn about the challenges of native biodiversity and under the guidance of teacher Emma Stride set to work.

The aim was that the land, included in the council's plan, would support native biodiversity while providing a pleasant area for the townspeople. Special emphasis was on planting native trees that provided year-round food for birds.

The mayor was so impressed with the concept he visited the students to learn more about the project and to encourage them in their environmental work and understanding.

He also explained some of the ways the council works within communities to provide services, parks, roads and other amenities that most people take for granted.

Mr Paterson said it was encouraging to see youngsters taking an interest in town planning from an environmental aspect.

"You never know — one day some of them may be town planners — and look back on this project as something that sowed the seed.

"It has also been great for council to have sparked this interest among the students in the Katikati Town Centre Plan — we welcome their input."

It is hoped primary pupils and Katikati College students will be involved in enhancing the stream and banks to help birds and whitebait prosper.

www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/local/news/mayor-admires-green-school-project/3954173

[Deleted]

Whitebait brioche sandwiches with lime hollandaise

By AMANDA LAIRD - The New Zealand Herald | Wednesday, 08 June 2011


CANAPES: Whitebait brioche sandwiches with lime hollandaise.
— Photo: Babiche Martens.

WHEN IT comes to entertaining, there's nothing like a few elegant canapes to increase the wow factor. Pop the bubbles darling, and try some of these dainty treats.

Divine whitebait from our shores is delicious and needs to be quickly prepared. The flavour is fantastic and all that is needed is some frothy butter in a pan, whisked egg, salt and pepper, and a few herbs.

Warmed bread wrapped around the fritters is the more low-key way to eat these treats, but because we're out to impress I have re-invented the basic whitebait sammie and turned it into a brioche canape. The fritters are still simple and tasty but small and sandwiched between lightly toasted thin slices of brioche. A spoonful of lime hollandaise and a sprinkle of fresh herbs finishes them off nicely.

Serves 4 people.

Lime Hollandaise Ingredients:

• 200g butter
• 3 Tbs lime juice
• 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
• 2 Tbs water
• 3 egg yolks
• salt and pepper

Whitebait Brioche Sandwiches Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 150g whitebait
• 3 tsp flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbs butter
• ½ Tbs olive oil
• thinly sliced brioche
• melted butter
• fresh oregano

Method:

• To make the hollandaise; melt the butter then set aside while combining the lime juice and zest in a saucepan with the water. Simmer until reduced to 1 Tbs of liquid.

• Pour into a small bowl that will fit over a simmering saucepan of water. Whisk in the egg yolks until thick and foamy then add the butter, a little at a time until you have a thick and creamy sauce. Season.

• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange circles of brioche on an oven tray, brush with melted butter and bake until golden — about 5 minutes, then turn over and repeat.

• Whisk the eggs with the whitebait, flour and seasoning. Heat a frypan, add the butter and olive oil then when hot, fry small spoonfuls of the fritter mixture. As soon as they are golden on one side, turn over.

• Serve the whitebait fritters between the slices of toasted brioche. Add a small spoonful of lime hollandaise with a little fresh oregano to garnish.

Chef's tip

Whitebait is available frozen all year round from different countries, but I would recommend holding out for our season. The size and flavour of the tiny fish is spectacular, so even though it can be pricey, it is a treat worth cooking simply and relishing.

www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10730960

[Deleted]

Whitebait recipe for fundraiser

By KATHRYN KING - Wanganui Chronicle | Monday, 20 June 2011


READY TO COOK: David Barton (left) and
Tim Metcalfe, of Jigsaw Whanganui, with
the whitebait supplies for the cook-off.
— Photo: Bevan Conley.

THERE ARE those among us who think that whitebait should be cooked with a bare minimum of ingredient — egg, flour, seasoning and a quick pan fry in butter.

And perhaps it will be a classic dish that wins the day. But Jigsaw Whanganui are hoping to try a few different variations on the classic whitebait fritter before crowning the best whitebait cook in town in their Great Whanganui Whitebait Cook-off.

The idea was spawned by Jigsaw Whangaui board chairman David Barton, who held a private whitebait cook-off for friends and family a few years ago.

The evening was such a hit he thought he'd take the idea city-wide as a fundraiser.

Jigsaw Whanganui is a non-profit agency with a frontline team of 16 social workers, counsellors and educators. During the past year, it has worked with more than 450 families throughout Wanganui, Rangitikei and Waimarino, making a difference to the lives of more than 1000 local children.

Less than 40 per cent of the organisation's income comes from the government, so it relies on other funding.

The cook-off will be its major fundraising event for the year.

Sixteen teams of two will have 20 minutes to cook their favourite whitebait recipe.

Their offerings will be judged and scored by a panel of three well-known figures, and one surprise judge.

Entertainer Pio Terei will host the evening.

Mr Barton said the whitebait for the competition would be provided — they had nearly 30kg caught on the West Coast.

Some of the ingredients used in his original cook-off included wasabi, curry and fritters served with a shot of schnapps.

The Edge Beauty Studio's Paula Wade was the winner of that competition. She was the reigning champion to beat, he said.

Tickets to watch the event are $80, which includes wine, a tasting platter of three different whitebait fritters, refreshments and live music from two local bands.

Crowd support would play a role in the judging and teams were welcome to dress up.

Judging criteria would include taste, innovation and presentation.

The winning duo would win a day at Ruth Pretty's cooking school for four people in Te Horo.

Depending on the success of the event, they were looking at making the cook-off annual, but not necessarily using whitebait.

Mr Barton said the cook-off was the start of a new push to raise their profile, because they really needed community support. Demand for Jigsaw's services had not decreased.

• Registration for teams of two are open now.

• Registration packs have been sent to local businesses and are available at: JigsawWhanganui.org.nz.

• Registration is $180 a team.

• Tickets to attended the evening will go on sale in July, and the event will take place August 20, from 7pm.

www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/local/news/whitebait-recipe-for-fundraiser/3956386

---

Locals volunteer to help with whitebait protection

By CAITLIN NOBES - Hawke's Bay Today | Monday, 20 June 2011

WHITEBAIT spawning sites found in the Wairoa region are a good sign for the future and will be protected by local landowners.

A recent Department of Conservation (DoC) survey of potential whitebait spawning sites aimed to protect whitebait (inanga, in Maori) numbers.

Wairoa DoC officer Helen Jonas had calls from as far away as Napier when she asked whitebaiters to share their local knowledge of spawning sites.

It was two local landowners who were making changes to protect the sites, she said.

One landowner had agreed to an electric wire running along a 200m section of stream bank, which would keep bulls from trampling the newly discovered spawning site.

Another local farmer, by the Awatere Stream, has taken it a step further; 300m of permanent fencing will be installed to protect the habitat.

Both options were of tremendous benefit to the fishery, Ms Jonas said.

Keeping stock off the extremely vulnerable areas, to protect spawning habitat, was critical.

Whitebait need specific conditions to spawn, including the right level of salinity, and spawning often happens in less than 300m of a river system.

DoC officers found a good level of spawning activity; however, a major flood occurred straight after spawning and only time would tell what the whitebait season would be like when it started on August 15, Ms Jonas said.

Ms Jonas is interested to hear from anyone with local knowledge of spawning sites.

www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/locals-volunteer-to-help-with-whitebait-protection/3956476

[Deleted]

Cool farms run with whitebait

By SHAAN TE KANI - The Gisborne Herald | Wednesday, 22 June 2011


LEFT: Whitebait spawning sites — Hans Rook (DoC officer) searching for whitebait eggs.
RIGHT: Whitebait eggs glistening like tiny pearls everywhere in the streambank grass.
— Photos: Department of Conservation.

WAIROA FARMERS are helping to protect potential whitebait spawning sites in the Wairoa region.

Farmers are assisting the Department of Conservation as part of a survey of potential spawning sites. Wairoa DoC officer Helen Jonas said this was proving a great success and boded well for the future.

DoC put the call out to white baiters recently to share their knowledge of local spawning sites and two landowners who farm along the Wairoa River “came up trumps”, she said.

One of the landowners farms beside the Huramua Stream and has agreed to an electric wire running along a 200-metre section of stream bank.

“This will effectively keep the bulls from trampling the newly discovered spawning site,” Ms Jonas said.

Another landowner, who farms beside the Awatere Stream, has taken it a step further.

“He has agreed to a permanent 300m fence that will protect this susceptible habitat,” she said.

Keeping stock off the extremely vulnerable areas by protecting spawning habitat is critical.

“Both these options are of tremendous benefit to the fishery.”

Ms Jonas said whitebait have exacting requirements and salinity has to be just right.

Spawning is often in less than 300 metres of an entire river system.

She saw a good level of spawning activity during the survey but said “nature was always the boss”.

A major flood occurred straight after spawning and only time will tell what the whitebait season will be like when it starts on August 15.

The best time to search for spawning is in April and May when the bulk of the fish are active.

Ms Jonas plans to continue searching over the year and will continue to use a conductivity meter borrowed from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

The meter measures the ‘salt water wedge’ or brackish water which is prime spawning habitat.

She is always keen to hear from anyone with local knowledge of spawning sites.

“Protecting spawning sites is simply an investment in the future.

“It by no means gives away knowledge of just where the ultimate whitebait fritter will come from next.”

www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=23353

[Deleted]

24,000 litres of oil spilt into Awakino River

Taranaki Daily News | Wednesday, 22 June 2011


SPILL: The tanker tipped on its side near the northern end of
the Awakino Gorge. — ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News.

A TANKER carrying 24,000 litres of waste oil has crashed in a treacherous King Country gorge and spilt its load into the Awakino River.

Waikato Regional Council staff are at the scene tonight but are unable to gauge the extent of the spill.

The tanker tipped on its side near the northern end of the Awakino Gorge on State Highway 3 about 3.30pm today.

The driver suffered head injuries.

Traffic through the gorge was reduced to one lane and was further complicated by a slip 400 metres south of the spill.

The highway was closed for an hour from 7.20pm as a crane loaded the crippled tanker on to a transporter.

Waikato Regional Council spokesman David Stagg was measuring his words tonight about the extent of the spill, but said the waste oil would damage the river's ecosystem.

"Waste oil in the river will not be any good for it and will cause some degree of harm," he said.

"Unfortunately in the gorge area, because of the swift nature of the river, there's no opportunity to contain it."

The Awakino is a popular and productive whitebait river, though the season does not start until September.

www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5179732/24-000-litres-of-oil-spilt-into-Awakino-River

---

Pollution fears after crash

By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News | Thursday, 23 June 2011


POLLUTION: A tanker carrying waste oil rolled in the Awakino Gorge, spilling thousands of litres
of oil into the Awakino River. — ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News.

EFFORTS to contain a major oil spill in the Awakino River were hitting full steam by midday today.

The spill occurred after a tanker overturned in the treacherous Awakino Gorge yesterday afternoon, leaking 20,000 litres of oil into the river.

A Maritime New Zealand rapid deployment boom was extended halfway across the river, at the boat ramp near the river mouth, to capture the oil slick as it made its way downstream.

Transpacific Industrial Solutions trucks were sucking the trapped oil off the top of the water to be transported away.

Specialist teams from the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Massey University were at the scene to assess what effect the spill would have on the environment and wildlife.

Environmental officials held fears for the river's wildlife.

However, the Waikato Regional Council said the spill seemed to have had little effect on the environment.

Group manager Chris McLay said an inspection by council and DOC staff had indicated a very limited environmental impact near the river mouth and the nearby coast.

"Hopefully this is a sign that most of the oil has been flushed out to sea and hasn't caused any major impacts on wildlife," Mr McLay said.

"However, we plan to continue to monitor the coast in the short term in case oil is washed back on to the shoreline."

DOC and Massey University staff planned to carry out a more detailed assessment of the spill's impact on wildlife, he said.

People were being asked to stay away from the river while staff worked to manage the situation.

"We'd also advise people to stay away from the oil if they come across any on land. If they discover distressed animal or bird life they should advise the Department of Conservation," Mr McLay said.

"Waste oil in the river will not be any good for it and will cause some degree of harm," Waikato Regional Council resource use programme manager David Stagg said.

Stagg was unsure what type of waste oil the truck was carrying when it crashed.

As for whitebait, he was more hopeful.

The fish spawned between March and May and hopefully hatched and headed out to sea in early June, he said.

"We're hopeful that the vast majority of the whitebait would have already headed out to sea ... so there's a bit of note of optimism there."

Firefighters described an oily film on the river about 1km shortly after the spill.

The Department of Conservation's Maniapoto area manager, Ray Scrimgeour, was also hopeful whitebait had escaped, but was concerned about other marine life that fed in the estuary.

He said he was hopeful of a quick clean-up to the lessen the impact.

Mokau and Awakino locals were still digesting the news when contacted this morning.

Jenny Marsden of the Whitebait Inn, Mokau, said no pollution was any good and was hopeful it could flush itself out.

Craig Morrison of the Awakino Hotel was worried what sort of oil it was and the effect of the rest of the river life.

"It's going to be down the river and out to sea by now. It's probably already along the coast. It's not good."

Morrison said locals were doubtful of a bumper whitebait season this year anyway after three or four bad seasons in a row.

www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5180223/Pollution-fears-after-crash

---

All hands to pump for cleanup

By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 24 June 2011


DAMAGE CONTROL: Adam Bubbins, of Transpacific Industrial Solutions, uses a vacuum hose
to suck the spilt oil. — ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News.

AWAKINO RESIDENTS woke yesterday to find a toxic black oil slick making its way down the river.

The slick was left after a truck carrying 24,000 litres of waste rolled in the hazardous Awakino Gorge on Wednesday and spilt its cargo.

Warning signs were still up at the site where the truck rolled, while puddles of oil sat in the gutter and the smell of oil tainted the air. The oil had stained vegetation along the river's banks.

Stevie Cross, of the Awakino Hotel, said the first thing that hit her was the stench.

"We could smell it as soon as we arrived at work," she said.

"It was a shock walking down and seeing the river. I was just shocked because you are so used to seeing your river and now it's all shiny and black."

The community was concerned about the effect the spill would have on the environment.

"As you do — we love our little community," Miss Cross said.

"It is a bit scary, how is it going to affect the whitebait, because it goes off out here during the whitebaiting season."

Daniel Stewart was not sure how the spill would affect the wildlife and environment.

"These fellas are cleaning it up, I guess we will see how it goes," Mr Stewart said.

Sarah Lewis was shocked when she read about the spill.

"Look at all of the shiny stuff in the river, it is horrible," she said.

Waikato Regional Council and Department of Conservation staff, along with Massey University wildlife experts, were at the scene yesterday.

Although most of the oil was believed to have been flushed out to sea overnight, a floating boom was used to trap the remaining slick at the Awakino boat ramp so it could be sucked up by Transpacific Industrial Solutions' vacuum trucks.

WRC group manager Chris McLay said an inspection by council and DOC staff found the spill had not had a major effect on the environment near the river mouth or nearby coastline.

"Hopefully this is a sign that most of the oil has been flushed out to sea and hasn't caused any major impacts on wildlife," Mr McLay said.

"However, we plan to continue to monitor the coast in the short term in case oil is washed back on to the shoreline."

However, there was oil contamination in riverside vegetation stretching at least three kilometres upstream, he said.

DOC officers and staff from Massey University planned to carry out a more detailed environmental assessment of the spill's impact on wildlife.

"There is some concern that birds living in riverside reeds may have been harmed. If any animals or birds need particular care, arrangements are in place to evacuate them to Palmerston North," Mr McLay said.

Transpacific Industrial Solutions managing director Tom Nickels said the truck was carrying lubricant oil from cars, trucks and boats when it rolled.

"It is potentially an issue for the environment but our information is not complete yet. Early indications are the environmental impact won't be too bad," Mr Nickels said.

The company had six vacuum trucks on site and the oil recovered from the river would be taken to the company's main processing plant in Mt Maunganui. Mr Nickels said the company was taking the incident very seriously.

The oil extraction would continue overnight and the situation would be assessed again today.

"Agencies have worked really well together to respond to this spill. We are hopeful that environmental impacts will be limited. But we want to make sure we carry out a thorough analysis tomorrow to ensure we make the right decisions about the future management of this incident," Mr McLay said.

www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/5186379/All-hands-to-pump-for-cleanup

[Deleted]

Planting streams for Matariki

Whangarei Leader | Tuesday, 28 June 2011


HARD YAKKA: Some of the 250 students and staff from Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Rawhitiroa
planting trees along stream banks in Tikipunga and Kamo.

HARD and muddy work this Matariki has resulted in more than 1000 native plants being planted along streams in Tikipunga and Kamo.

Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Rawhitiroa's 250 students and staff along with parents and other members of the community planted over 700 plants along the Waitaua River in Tikipunga during the week of June 06.

The week before over 200 plants went into the ground at Kamo's Hodges Park thanks to students from Hurupaki Primary School.

Another day at the Otangarei rugby grounds took place last week where another 300 plants were planted.

These planting days have been the result of a vision of revegetating stream banks along the Waitaua catchment.

Years of growing and planting at Tikipunga Sports Domain led by Te Rawhitiroa has grown into wider plans to give streams in Kamo, Tikipunga and Otangarei a makeover.


STREAM RECOVERY: Whaea Anna Henare and year 9
student Louis Paul plant a flax bush — one of
hundreds of planted during Matariki.

The Waitaua Catchment Restoration Project is spearheaded by Kim Jones and Nicki Wakefield of the Whitebait Connection and involves planting native plants from the He Kakano community nursery. Organisations like Whangarei District Council, Northland Regional Council, Alter-Natives, Forest Floor Nurseries and Kauri Park Nurseries have supported the project.

"Life in the streams such as kewai (freshwater crayfish), tuna (eels) and even whitebait will be thanking us for helping restore their habitat," project co-ordinator Nicki Wakefield says.

"This project also helps the life downstream in our harbour," co-ordinator Kim Jones says. "A lot of sediment washes into our harbour as runoff every winter as a result of unplanted riparian zones."

"This sediment is causing our harbour to infill at an unnatural rate and changing the habitat. This has flow-on effects such as causing mangroves to spread faster than they would naturally.

"A lot of other things flow down our streams and into our harbour via stormwater drains too. Things such as oil, cigarette butts and rubbish, so this is also a focus of our programme — to raise awareness of this drains-to-harbour connection and encourage others to take action for our waterways by being responsible for their waste and how they manage their local environment," Mrs Jones says.

www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/northland/whangarei-leader/5197268/Planting-streams-for-Matariki

[Deleted]

Veteran whitebaiter honoured posthumously

By JANNA SHERMAN - Greymouth Star | Wednesday, 29 June 2011


BRIAN McCARTHY

HOKITIKA identity and avid whitebaiter Brian McCarthy was posthumously made a life member of the West Coast Whitebaiters’ Association at the group’s annual meeting on Saturday, a day after he died aged 86.

Mr McCarthy was a founding member of the whitebaiters’ association in the early 1990s, and was a former president.

He was a well-known whitebaiter in South Westland for about 60 years before retiring to Hokitika, where he took up a regular spot in the north channel of the Hokitika River.

“He had a depth of knowledge on the history of whitebaiting, and he knew the Coast from top to bottom and had been whitebaiting since he was a schoolboy,” current president Des McEnaney said.

The meeting on Saturday was unanimous in honouring him, even in death.

“We had been trying to make him a life member while he was alive but he would humbly decline — that’s the sort of guy he was.”

Exiting vice-president and Haast branch president Charlie Boulton and his wife Carol were also made life members, along with Haast elder Betty Eggeling, another seasoned whitebaiter.

www.greystar.co.nz/content/veteran-whitebaiter-honoured-posthumously

[Deleted]

Pipe removal makes beach safer

By PAUL O'ROURKE - The Timaru Herald | Saturday, 09 July 2011


NEW OUTFALL: Smithfield beach users will find significant
changes after the old outfall pipes were removed.

WHITEBAITERS who turn up for the opening of the season at the Smithfield beach next month are going find some significant changes-the old pipe outlet for the Washdyke Lagoon is gone.

The Smithfield beach, in Timaru, has been popular with whitebaiters and school groups doing marine studies for decades.

Environment Canterbury believes the changes have now made the beach a much safer place for people.

Fifty metres of the 60-70 year-old pipes from the Washdyke Lagoon outfall drainage system had stretched from the beach out to the reef to ensure there was always an opening to the sea for the lagoon.

ECan's Timaru based senior engineer officer Bruce Scarlett said the section of pipes had now become redundant because coastal erosion that has occurred since the 1940s now meant the outfall now works effectively closer to the shore.

"The reinforced concrete pipes have been exposed for some time now and constant battering by waves had meant they were badly damaged. There were holes occurring and metal patches and exposed bolts."

"The pipes were starting to become a hazard to users of the beach. Algae growing on the exposed pipes posed a slipping danger."

While whitebaiters are required to stay 20 metres clear of man-made structures, the pipes were a favourite spot for many as whitebait were attracted to the freshwater spilling from the holes.

The Department of Conservation said the 20 metre exclusion zone around the outlet would remain as it gave the whitebait a chance to enter the lagoon and breed for the following season.

www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/5259783/Pipe-removal-makes-beach-safer

[Deleted]

Southern whitebait in jeopardy

Dairying blamed as four species on threatened list.

By NICCI MCDOUGALL - The Southland Times | Monday, 11 July 2011


• Click on the image to download the full-size PDF file.

WHITEBAITING in the south is likely to decline further with four of the five species now listed as threatened in Southland.

In 2008, two whitebait species were on the threatened list but it now comprises the inanga, koaro, giant kokopu and the shortjaw kokopu. The banded kokopu has yet to be listed.

Two freshwater ecologists have blamed dairy farming as a main reason for the decline in the fishery throughout the country.

Senior freshwater ecologist Richard Allibone, of Dunedin, said whitebait was declining slowly across the country for several reasons, but agriculture was a major issue.

"The worse is gets, the worse it's going to be for the fish ..."

"Extinction is not likely within the next 50 years but they will become less common. Whitebait fishery is likely to decline," he said.

Massey University freshwater ecologist Mike Joy said whitebait fishing did not help, but agriculture was the biggest problem — "habitat loss and loss of spawning ground due to pollution".

Southland Department of Conservation freshwater technical support officer Andy Hicks said there were several reasons for the decline of whitebait numbers and why they were on the threatened species list. "Wetland drainage, river habitat modification and water quality issues related to widespread land use change are likely causes for whitebait decline in Southland. Introduced fish such as trout, and over-fishing by whitebaiters, are other factors that may have led to their widespread decline," he said.

Whitebait seem to be dropping out of areas they used to be found in commonly, he said.

"People used to be able to scoop whitebait out of rivers with buckets and use it as fertiliser but those days are long gone. It is a fraction of what it used to be. Whitebaiters say that nowadays it's a struggle to catch a tonne," he said.

"Losing whitebait means a reduction in native biodiversity, and also the loss of a major recreational fishing activity. There is a high possibility of restoring the numbers back but we need to invest in research and appropriate conservation measures," Mr Hicks said.

Whitebaiter Ian Walker, who fishes on the Waihopai and Oreti rivers, said last year was one of the worst seasons he'd had and he took home about 4-5 kilograms.

Mr Walker, who has been whitebaiting since he was 10, said he gave up a month before closing.

"It was a waste of time."

The whitebait caught last year was much smaller than normal, he said.

Environment Southland chief executive Ciaran Keogh said there was no doubt there had been a whitebait reduction through habitat degradation and the problem had been acknowledged for a while.

Environment Southland was taking steps to counter the problem, including the Clean Stream Accord and riparian fencing.

Southland Recreational Whitebaiters Association president Brett Pearce said that while it was accepted recent whitebait seasons had not been great, the whitebait were still there and the fishery was still viable.

Whitebaiter Ian McCracken, who fishes the Waiau River, said thanks to habitat ponds installed on the river, there did not appear to be a problem on the Waiau.

The threatened species list is recorded in the New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, and will be reviewed by an independent panel again next year.

The whitebait season begins on August 15 and closes at the end of November.

www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5259506/Southern-whitebait-in-jeopardy

---

Ecologist calls for commercial whitebait fishing ban

RadioLIVE and 3NEWS | Monday, 11 July 2011


MMMM: The whitebait season opens next month.

AN ecologist is calling for a ban on the commercial fishing of whitebait as numbers continue to decline.

Four of the five species are now listed as threatened in Southland, double the numbers of three years ago.

Dairy farming, over-fishing and the introduction of other species of fish to the country's rivers are among the reasons given for the falling numbers.

Mike Joy, a freshwater ecologist from Massey University, says a commercial ban could be the solution.

“It’s a lot easier to do that than to knock down dams, and really get some action out of intensification of farming here when it’s of such economic importance”.

The whitebait season opens next month.

www.3news.co.nz/Ecologist-calls-for-commercial-whitebait-fishing-ban/tabid/1160/articleID/218372/Default.aspx

[Deleted]

Whitebait maestro set for battle

Manawatu Standard | Saturday, 30 July 2011

LARRY CARNE is looking forward to the start of the whitebaiting season — but he's worried his grandchildren may not be able to enjoy it the same way he has.

The Palmerston North man will be whitebaiting at Himatangi Beach from the start of the season on August 15 and was busy checking his gear in the lead up.

He remembered being dropped off to whitebait as an eight-year-old and left there all day, and more than 50 years later still loved it.

"It's one of the few sports you can do at a level that suits you," he said.

He preferred the wild conditions of Himatangi Beach but said there were waterways people could catch whitebait in while still keeping pretty dry.

"It's an iconic Kiwi thing to do and the whitebait fritter is an iconic thing, like bluff oysters," he said.

"It would be great if it was still there for the grandkids."

But the future of native New Zealand whitebait was in jeopardy because of the rapid decline of their habitat in Manawatu. Mr Carne recognised the threats to whitebait — the draining of wetlands, the invasion of pest fish and pollution.

"All of these things combining just make it hard on the poor old whitebait," he said.

He had a grass roots approach to whitebaiting, building his own nets and using a golf club as a tool to hold on to them.

He looked forward to another whitebaiting season, but for one reason only: "I'm looking forward to eating them."

www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5364430/Whitebait-maestro-set-for-battle

---

Campaign to revive stocks of whitebait

By VICKI WATERHOUSE - Manawatu Standard | Saturday, 30 July 2011

A YEAR AFTER a drive to overhaul the whitebaiting rules nothing has changed and their population and habitat continue to decline in Manawatu.

The Department of Conservation is behind a push to create a whitebaiting group to better monitor the popular delicacy and encourage the restoration of their habitat.

A hui will be held to bring together whitebaiters ahead of the start of the season next month.

This time last year experts called for a review of the laws around whitebait fishing, but said their efforts were thwarted by lobbyists from the West Coast, who wanted no changes on their thriving industry.

Since then no rules had been altered and the whitebait habitat and population in Manawatu continued to decline.

Whitebait are increasingly threatened in Manawatu lowland waterways because of habitat destruction and pest fish problems.

Massey University freshwater ecology student Stella McQueen, who will speak at the hui, said the loss of habitat was the biggest threat to whitebait and commercial fishing was secondary.

"There's so little protection on them despite them being native and unique to New Zealand," she said.

She said originally Manawatu would have been the perfect habitat for whitebait — covered in swamp — so the loss of the whitebait over the years had been substantial.

"They would've been incredibly common in this area and now they're very, very rare," she said.

DOC community relations ranger Kelly Stratford said the hui was to talk about what could be done in Manawatu waterways to help protect whitebait.

Current whitebait regulations do not prevent commercial exploitation of this food resource.

The rules surrounding whitebaiting include using only one net, using a net that is no wider than a third of the width of the waterway, being within 10 metres of the net and not fishing at night.

The whitebait season runs from August 15 to November 30.

The whitebait hui is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday at the Te Kawau Memorial Recreation Centre in Rongotea at 6.30pm.

www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5364420/Campaign-to-revive-stocks-of-whitebait

---

Mediocre whitebait season on horizon

By ABBIE NAPIE - The Canterbury Star | Sunday, 31 July 2011

THE WHITEBAIT SEASON in Christchurch may be in jeopardy this year because spawning sites have been destroyed.

Canterbury University biology associate professor Jon Harding said the rivers and estuaries were "chockablock with silt", making parts of them uninhabitable for species such as inanga (New Zealand's native whitebait).

Whitebait usually lay their eggs in the grasses on the bank which can only be accessed by spring tides, Professor Harding said.

The water then recedes, leaving the eggs protected from aquatic predators such as eels.

With the silt blocking the streams, the water levels have risen.

This means the spawning sites have been swamped by liquefaction and flooded by high water levels.

Mark Taylor's firm, Aquatic Ecology Ltd, was contracted by Environment Canterbury to monitor the effects of the earthquake on the aquatic environment.

He has been monitoring the whitebait spawning sites for 25 years.

He said the largest site near Avondale Bridge had survived the quakes well.

The worst affected sites were near Kate Sheppard Retirement Home and Steamwharf Stream near Dyers Road.

He said the silt had completely obliterated the spawning habitats there and unless work was done to salvage the area and remove the silt, the habitat would take years to self-correct.

In addition to the silt flooding, faecal bacteria has been leaking into the water from broken sewer pipes since February.

Professor Harding said the bacteria levels were "through the roof", causing fish species to die or relocate.

It looked like the whitebait season in Christchurch would be pretty average, he said.

Mr Taylor said special care would need to be taken when eating any whitebait caught.

If well-cooked, the whitebait may be good to eat.

Eating it raw could be harmful.

"If people are whitebaiting and freeze their catch, the water around the fish will create a build-up of toxins which could be dangerous."

ECan planned to continue monitoring the spawning sites. Surface water quality scientist Michele Stevenson said there was still sewage leaking into the rivers.

It was not safe to have contact with the water and also the things that lived in the water.

ECan and the city council planned to meet and discuss ways to make the water safe in time for the season, she said.

www.starcanterbury.co.nz/local/news/mediocre-whitebait-season-on-horizon/3961176

[Deleted]

Whitebaiter remanded in custody for 10 weeks

Radio New Zealand | Wednesday, 03 August 2011

AN OPOTIKI MAN has been remanded in custody for 10 weeks after being found guilty of taking whitebait illegally and threatening Department of Conservation rangers.

Peter Warren, 57, was found guilty on six charges in the Opotiki District Court last week.

DoC acting area manager James Holborow says rangers found Warren fishing on three occasions within 20 metres of a floodgate, which gave the whitebait very little chance.

"If you're fishing for them there, not too many fish can get past those floodgates and carry on up to keep the population going and you don't get anything to replace the stock that might die."

Mr Holborow says the offending is serious and is reflected in the judge's decision to remand Warren in custody until sentencing on 06 October.

Westcoast Whitebaiters Association president Des McEnaney says the case has sent a message to whitebaiters to respect the regulations and those that enforce them.

Mr McEnaney says there is often friction among whitebaiters on the West Coast, but most respect the Department of Conservation rangers.

www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/81564/whitebaiter-remanded-in-custody-for-10-weeks

---

Preserving the whitebait

By LISA HENSON - Fielding Herald | Wednesday, 03 August 2011

THE BEST WAY to increase your chances of catching more whitebait in the upcoming seasons is to protect the waterways and facilitate the spawning process.

Yes, you read correctly, the best way to grow the numbers is to provide an optimum environment for "fish orgies" and to protect the habitat of the subsequent eggs.

Tomorrow, there will be a community hui at the Te Kawau Memorial Recreation Centre, where it is hoped all the various groups interested in protecting and growing the whitebait fishery will come together and share their knowledge.

Stella McQueen, a student at Massey University who specialises in freshwater ecology, will introduce the five species that make up the whitebait fishery and speak about some of the issues threatening their future.

However, she said, that is only one small part of the evening.

"There are things that the locals know and there are things that we as scientists know. If we can bring that information together and work together we can hopefully serve all of our purposes," she said.

Of the five species, giant kokopu, koaro, banded kokopu, inanga and shortjawed kokopu, inanga is the most common.

They also have a very short life span. Assuming they manage to avoid the whitebaiter's net, they will only live long enough to breed — once. After breeding, all the adults die.

Ms McQueen said boosting the numbers is actually quite a simple thing to achieve, if everyone works together to boost the environment, which in turn supports the fish.

Simplifying what seems to be a complex process, the inanga rely considerably on outside influencing factors for their survival.

Floating in on big tides, inanga drift inland to spawn in the long grasses — after which time their life's purpose is complete and about to come to an end.

The eggs however, need to have the long grass at the water's edge for survival, which is compromised by factors such as grazing, landscaping and mowing.

When the big tides return, the eggs are swept out to sea where they hatch and grow, before returning in the spring.

"If they cannot get out to sea, they die."

"While the spawning is happening, we know there is a milk effect in the water," Ms McQueen said.

"It is quite possible many locals have noticed this, and it would be great for us to know where this is happening so we can begin to work towards protecting these areas."

"We aren't just going there to tell everyone what we know, we want to hear back from the people who fish the waters and can help us."

"Whatever we can do to help spawning by protecting the habitat will help grow the fishery."

"As an environmentalist, that keeps me happy, and more whitebait will keep the fishermen happy."

• Anyone with an interest in the whitebait fishery and/or the health of our waterways is welcome to attend the public meeting at the Te Kawau Memorial Recreation Centre, Wye Street, Rongotea, August 03, at 6.30pm.

www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/feilding-herald/5375760/Preserving-the-whitebait

[Deleted]

Warning whitebait from Christchurch rivers unsafe

Radio New Zealand | Friday, 05 August 2011

HEALTH AUTHORITIES are warning people not to eat any whitebait caught from Christchurch rivers due to sewage contamination.

There have been advisories against gathering fish or shellfish from Christchurch waterways since the February earthquake.

The whitebait season for most of the country begins on 15 August and ends on 30 November. On the West Coast the season runs from 01 September until 14 November.

Canterbury DHB Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey says it is important that local whitebaiters continue to heed the warnings.

Dr Humphrey says although the council are working very hard to finish fixing damaged drains, raw sewage is still being discharged into the Avon River.

"Both the Avon and the Heathcote rivers are off-limits for recreational use — they really are quite badly contaminated."

Dr Humphrey says any whitebait caught in the rivers or estuary could make people very sick.

www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/81827/warning-whitebait-from-christchurch-rivers-unsafe

---

Whitebait from city rivers off menu

Voxy News | Friday, 05 August 2011


OFF LIMITS: Whitebait from Christchurch rivers.

CHRISTCHURCH WHITEBAITERS are being warned against fishing in or around the Avon/Otakaro River, Heathcote/Opawaho River or Avon-Heathcote/Otakaro-Opawaho Estuary/Ihutai this season because of sewage contamination.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Alistair Humphrey says there have been warnings in place regarding the gathering of fish or shellfish in these areas since the February earthquakes.

"With the whitebait season beginning on August 15, it is important that local whitebaiters continue to heed the warnings against fishing," Dr Humphrey says.

Earthquake damage to Christchurch's sewerage and wastewater systems means there are ongoing discharges of untreated sewage into the rivers and estuary, which will continue for some time.

Dr Humphrey says any whitebait caught in these rivers will also be contaminated and could make people very sick if eaten.

"Although people think whitebait is safe because it is cooked, the water in which the whitebait is surrounded and then subsequently frozen will contain sewage and can contaminate your kitchen and utensils," he says.

"You may not get sick from eating the whitebait patty but you could get sick from other food prepared in the same kitchen. Whitebaiters also put themselves at risk if they enter sewage contaminated waterways."

Most ill-health effects are minor and short-lived but there is the potential for more serious diseases such as hepatitis A, giardia, cryptosporosis, campylobacter and salmonella, which can cause serious illness such as liver and kidney failure, Dr Humphrey says.

Meanwhile, it is still safe for people to fish for whitebait in the Waimakiriri River, Halswell/Hurutini River, Styx/Parakaunui River and any rivers north of the Waimakiriri or south of Lyttelton Harbour.

"We ask for people to notify Community and Public Health if they see anyone whitebaiting in the Avon/Otakaro or Heathcote/Opawaho rivers," Dr Humphrey says.

______________________________________

The public are strongly advised:

• Don't drink water from the city rivers or estuary.

• Don't use the city rivers or estuary for recreational use, including swimming or boating.

www.voxy.co.nz/health/whitebait-city-rivers-menu/5/97231

[Deleted]

District court Whataroa style: NZ's most isolated mainland court

Deidre Mussen visits New Zealand's most isolated mainland
court, where justice is served with whipped cream and jam.

The Press | Saturday, 06 August 2011


DUTY CALLS: The South Westland police force at Whataroa District Court.

WHATAROA DISTRICT COURT sits four times a year — reduced to three last year, when a sitting was cancelled after gales brought down trees and knocked out the power supply in May.

This South Westland township's cute wooden courthouse offers a popular day out from mainstream judiciary in the remote depths of the West Coast.

The weather is typically good for hearing days, despite the district's high annual rainfall, and today is no exception. Lake Ianthe mirrors the surrounding snow-capped mountains and lush bush with chocolate-box perfection on the drive south.

Judge Paul Whitehead, as Greymouth's circuit judge this week, has driven the 150km from Greymouth along stunning State Highway 6 for the day's list. All four South Westland police officers have turned up in their smartest blues.

"I do look forward to coming here," says West Coast police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Harris.

Greymouth deputy registrar Donna Stanton echoes that: "I love it."

"Everyone loves coming here. It's got a lot of character and it's a beautiful little courtroom," says Greymouth lawyer George Linder.

"It's unique for New Zealand," Constable Paul Gurney adds.

He is the last serving Whataroa police officer and still lives with his wife and two children in the police house next door, but is now based in Franz Josef. His family's pet sheep lives beside the courthouse and its baa-ing can be heard when sash windows are opened at lunchtime.

Lunches are a vital part of the day, when court staff, usually the judge, police, lawyers, the probation officer and media rub shoulders as they share hearty club sandwiches and sumptuous scones topped with cream and jam.

Sometimes that delicious West Coast delicacy, whitebait, is on the menu.

But today, it's on the court list. The main case is a defended hearing over a whitebait stoush.

Defended hearings are rare here, but Andrew Player, a 47-year-old unemployed Haast man, attempts to persuade the judge he was provoked into punching a fellow whitebait fisherman and threatening him and his friend with a knife after he was accused of stealing whitebait.

While the assault victim describes tying off the "cod end" of his net, Judge Whitehead leans over and asks him to pause.

"Treat me like a complete lunatic when it comes to whitebait," the judge says, asking him to explain what he was tying off.

After evidence from the victim and his whitebaiting friend, plus Haast police officer Senior Constable Robin Manera, Player recounts his version of events on the Turnbull River last October 24.

The victim and his whitebaiting friend sit in the public gallery, barely an arm's length from Player, behind a metre-high wooden security bar, which is designed to stop anyone jumping over into court. They call out to disagree with Player's evidence but quieten down when told to do so.

Ultimately, Judge Whitehead rules against Player.

The probation officer tells the judge community service is impossible as a sentence, because it is very difficult to offer in a spot as remote as Haast. Instead, Player is fined $450 plus court costs and will be called up to court if he reoffends in the following nine months.

Fishing is also the theme for an earlier appearance by gum-chewing Kaiangaroa recreational fisherman Shaun Richardson, 42. He admits four charges from a day's fishing in March in remote Bruce Bay, an hour north of Haast.

Ministry of Fisheries lawyer Grant Fletcher tells the court patrols are rare in the area because of its isolation, but a fisheries officer found Richardson with excess paua and rock lobster, having shucked them before measuring them on land, and having underwater breathing apparatus on the boat.

His boat and trailer are automatically forfeited, although they will be redeemed for a $2000 fee. He is sentenced to 200 hours community work.

As Fletcher leaves, he whispers to media: "It's great fun coming here."

Two local residents appear for driving offences and both are growled at by Judge Whitehead and fined.

However, he decides against disqualifying them from driving, because they both need their licences for work since they live in such remote settings.

After lunch, everyone disperses wide and far. Haast is 2½ hours south and Greymouth is about two hours north.

The Whataroa District Court, built in 1939, serves an area from Jackson's Bay to Harihari. The next closest courts are either 150km north in Greymouth or 404km south in Queenstown.

There are 63 district courts in New Zealand but only three open irregularly — Whataroa, Ruatoria and the Chatham Islands. But Whataroa is the only one with a stand-alone courthouse and is called the "precious jewel in the crown of the West Coast circuit" by the Justice Ministry.

One of the ministry's most amusing yarns about the courthouse dates back into the 1990s, when one of the Christchurch district judges arrived there to find it locked, because the local policeman had been called away urgently.

"It was decided that justice must be seen to be done and, therefore, that the judge must force entry to the court," the ministry says on its website.

"With the assistance of court staff, he was hoisted up the back wall, where he was able to force entry through a back window and climb in, to the delight of the assembled multitude of defendants yet to appear."

"It is the only known example of a judge breaking and entering his/her own court."

www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/5400441/District-court-Whataroa-style

[Deleted]

Warning out to whitebaiters

Kaikoura Star | Wednesday, 10 August 2011

AS WHITEBAITERS head for waterways hoping to net "pounds" of whitebait from Monday, they are being reminded taking steps now to help preserve these native fish species can enable good catches in the years to come.

The whitebait season runs from Monday to November 30 over most of New Zealand. On the West Coast the season is from September 01 to November 14.

The Department of Conservation, which manages the fishery, says steps needed to sustain the whitebait fishery include habitat protection, maintaining fish passage and abiding by whitebait fishing regulations.

"Whitebait are the young of native fish and we are losing more of these species every year," said DOC Nelson/Marlborough freshwater specialist Martin Rutledge.

"Four of the five main whitebait species are now classified as in decline: giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, koaro and the inanga, the most commonly caught species."

"The declines in whitebait species are mostly due to a lack of clean, healthy rivers, streams and wetlands for the adult fish."

"Planting and fencing stream edges can improve their habitat. Whitebait also need access between the sea and their freshwater habitats so dams and culverts should be designed to allow them unimpeded passage or be removed."

"We'd encourage keen whitebaiters to assist with whitebait habitat protection to help maintain healthy fish populations which are needed for the Kiwi tradition of whitebaiting to be enjoyed in the future. Protection of stream habitats by fencing out stock and planting up with native trees are worthwhile projects to get involved with," Mr Rutledge said.

"Whitebaiters should also ensure they know the whitebait fishing regulations and comply with them."

He said each whitebaiter can use only one net with a maximum mouth size of 4.5 metres. Net and go-bys together must not exceed six metres in length or be more than one-third of the waterway width.

"This and restrictions on the hours of fishing allow some whitebait to escape the nets to reach adulthood and breed. It also means everyone can get a fair share."

DOC rangers will be patrolling waterways to check whitebaiters are sticking to the regulations but if people see anyone breaking the rules they are asked to report it to the DOC emergency number 0800 DOCHOT/0800362468.

Whitebaiters are also reminded to check, clean, dry fishing gear, including footwear, when moving between waterways to prevent the spread of didymo algae and other aquatic pests.

Any gutty or mature whitebait and other aquatic species whitebaiters catch but won't be eating should be returned to the water alive.

By-catch can include shrimps, bullies, glass eels, smelt and trout.

www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/5415600/Warning-out-to-whitebaiters

[Deleted]

Whitebaiters look forward to bonanza

Bumper season predicted

By JULIE KAIO - Franklin County News | Thursday, 11 August 2011


FATHER & SON: Veteran whitebaiters Colin, left, and Clinton Brock
are getting their gear ready for the new season on the Waikato River.

CLINTON BROCK has high hopes for the coming whitebait season.

The keen outdoorsman, who has been fishing for the coveted Kiwi delicacy on the Waikato River since he was seven, reckons it could be a bumper harvest in 2011.

That's because the Waikato River has been in flood often this winter.

"It's been up and down four or five times. When it floods it flushes the eggs from the grass into the river," said the 27-year-old.

"When the river drops, the eggs are exposed to light and then hatch."

"Some years we've had a drought right up to the season. That's when the cattle step on the eggs in the grass and swamps."

Mr Brock, of Port Waikato, learned his baiting skills from Andy Bryce, a Port identity, on the sand dunes at the river's mouth.

He said: "I'm an outdoorsy sort of person, I love fishing and hunting." So much so, it's also his job. Mr Brock is a commercial eel fisherman.

He believes there is some science to predicting the flow of whitebait.

"It's all about the tides and the surf," he said. "When the surf drops in an easterly, they (whitebait) are pushed up through the river. If it's a big tide, they go further up the river, as far as the Tuakau Bridge."

Before deciding his spot on the river, Mr Brock will study the water table "to see how far the tides are going push them upstream."

But there's also a bit of luck involved in catching sizeable hauls.

"A lot of it is about being in the right place at the right time...and word gets around if there's been a good run. Sometimes the river can look like Queen Street in Auckland."

Joining Mr Brock on Monday on the river, when the official whitebait season opens, will be his dad Colin, a whitebaiter of almost 40 years. Like his son, Colin, 56, knows the Waikato River like the back of his hand. He hunted the elusive whitebait with the best in the business, the late Les Henry. Colin said: "He was legendary, Mr Whitebait."

Colin's early catches went straight from Hoods Landing to the old whitebait factory on the banks of the river near Te Kohanga, where it was tinned and exported overseas.

Those were the good old days. In 1977 Colin remembers catching "150 pounds in two dips" (68kg) on the sands.

He hunts pure whitebait (inanga), a smaller, more translucent fish. Clinton prefers porahe, a species unique to the Waikato (not to be confused with the larger fish with a similar name), described as fatter and having more guts.

While father and son have different preferences of the often-elusive catch, both agree on keeping things simple when it comes to cooking and eating it.

"Just eggs and whitebait, that's all, and a pinch of salt and maybe a little flour," Colin reckons.

"Yep, two eggs per 100g of whitebait, into a fritter and just cooked," agrees Clinton, who also fancies the fish sauteed in garlic and butter, topped with fresh parsley and loaded between two slices of bread.

www.stuff.co.nz/waikato-times/news/5428915/Whitebaiters-look-forward-to-bonanza

[Deleted]

Whitebait cards held close to chests

By MERANIA KARAURIA - Wanganui Chronicle | Friday, 12 August 2011


HEAT IS ON: Whanganui UCOL hospitality tutor
Gina Wagstaff and Jigsaw Whanganui board of
trustees chair Dave Burton deliver the goods at
last night's Great Whitebait Cook-off meeting.
— Photo: Merania Karauria.

THE HEAT is on and the knives are out, but the competition is shrouded in secrecy as competitors in Jigsaw Whanganui's Great Whitebait Cook-Off stay mum on what they say is the winning recipe.

Last night they came together to hear Whanganui UCOL Hospitality tutor Gina Wagstaff state the finer points for the August 20 cook-off in the War Memorial Hall.

However, the competitors were dealing out some psychological warfare of their own.

Whanganui Community Foundation's chief executive Judith Timpany says she and team member Belinda Marker have had two practices.

Mrs Timpany said she already knew that huhu grubs were the secret ingredient in Wanganui Chronicle general manager Andy Jarden's and team member Amanda deRuyter's whitebait recipe.

She added that Jigsaw did "amazing work in the community" and their entry was "stepping up to help the organisation".

Mayor Annette Main and Jane Lillington are adamant they have the winning recipe.

"I lived by the Mowhanau Stream for years, and my mum came from the Makirikiri Valley. My grandfather had a secret ingredient, so they did not get sick of the family's delicacy," Ms Main said.

More FM's morning announcers, Jason Granville and Sue Miller, say they're always up early and it will be the "early bird that gets the worm" with their "something-exotic twist on an old favourite".

There will be three judges on the night: Angela Ferguson from the Taranaki branch of the NZ Chefs' Association and Patrick Van Alfen, a wine merchant from Wairarapa Wines, and a third person who will agree to have their name put forward when they arrive at the event and drawn before the judging takes place.

www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/local/news/whitebait-cards-held-close-to-chests/3962748