What's really happening with whitebait?

From Nine To Noon, 9:25 am on 18 October 2022

It's been a tough season for many whitebaiters - some say it's been one of the worst they can remember.

In a bid to take pressure off the whitebait fishery, the Department of Conservation cut the season by six weeks in most parts of the country.

The season opened on September 1st and will end on October 30th. But DOC admits the true state and health of the whitebait fishery isn't known and it's been surveying whitebaiters to get a clearer picture.

DOC’s Director Aquatic Kirsty Knowles joins Kathryn along with NIWA freshwater ecologist Mike Hickford to discuss how changes in habitat are affecting whitebait and whether the whitebait fritter might one day be a delicacy consigned to history.

Whitebait in egg.

Whitebait Photo: Kennedy Warne