WHITEBAIT

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 3670, 26 July 1927, Page 4

WHITEBAIT

NO YEARLY DECREASE. WESTPORT RESEARCH. At the request of the* Westland Acelimitisation a committee of the most experienced whitebaitfishermen in Westland was selected recently to deal with the points raised by a letter from the Marine Department in connection with the whitebait industry, says the Westport “News.” The report of the committee states that the run of fish depends on the weather, which effects the state of the rivers. When the weather is variable it sometimes delays, and at other time extends, the season. Warm spring weather, with not longer than teh days without rain, with small floods at intervals, have proved to be the best conditions. The best runs are always found before an approaching storm. On these occasions the fish are more massed and travel at twice the speed of ordinary times, and are thus more easily netted.

“To our knowledge,” says the report, “there are two distinct species of whitebait. One species is the long, clean fish, with a black line extending from the head of the tail. These fish run the whole period of the season. The other species is shorter and much stronger, with a yellowish tint, and rarely make more than four or five runs during a season. They are known to the fishermen as the ‘jelly fish’ species. They are much superior in quality to the former.

“Whitebait travel from a northwest direction in huge shoals. This is demonstrated by the fact that swarms of seabirds are to be seen following the shoals along the coast feeding on them, often right into the river mouths. These birds continue to follow the main shoals as they continued south. “The whitebait begin to run usually in August and continue to the middle of December, the greatest runs place about 20th September until 10th November. In good seasons the fish have been known to be plentiful from the middle of August until the middle of December, the length of season depending entirely on weather conditions.

“The late whitebait at the end of November are of a poor quality, being very poor in condition, and •travel in small bunches with their heads almost out of the water. With regard to the theory that inanga are the parent fish of whitebait, we are unable to throw much light on the problem. As whitebait run from July to December, a period of six months, and the inanga spawn in March, it is difficult to •believe that the early whitebait m July and the late whitebait in December can be the spawn of the same fish. Naturally, the late whitebait in December would be expected to be much larger fish than those of the early period of the season, but the position is quite the reverse. “It is the opinion of the committee,” the report concludes,, “who has sought much information on

this subject, dating back over a number of years, that there is no decrease in the runs of whitebait, as the season 1925 proves conclusively. After viewing these facts we recommend no alterations other than the present regulations governing the whitebait industry.”