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Overfishing, poor water quality and habitat destruction are contributing to the decline in whitebait numbers, says a Forest & Bird advocate.
Whitebait (file image). Source: istock.com
Freshwater advocate Annabeth Cohen said four species of whitebait are at risk or threatened with extinction and is calling on the government to strengthen fishing regulations before the start of the west coast whitebait season next year.
The west coast whitebait season ended yesterday. Ends November 30 for the rest of New Zealand.
The Department of Conservation has just released their summary of the submissions on their whitebait query, in which they recognized the strong support from fishermen and non-fishermen to obtain a license and catch limit to manage and monitor the whitebait fishery, Cohen said it’s a statement.
Forest & Bird’s submission also called for a license requirement, a catch limit for both commercial and recreational fishing, and a method of data collection.
“Native fish species in New Zealand are being killed by a thousand cuts. Overfishing is a pressure we can alleviate right now.
“We need the government to prioritize our amazing native fish and make sure they will be here for future generations.
“Now it is up to the Minister of Conservation and the Minister of the Environment to save our backpack species from overfishing, water pollution and habitat destruction, so they can flourish and be enjoyed by future generations.
“They travel through a largely unregulated fishery early in their lives and continue to live in habitats where the results of pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus are not yet good enough,” Cohen said.
Forest & Bird said kōaro (at risk – declining), short-jawed kōkopu (threatened – vulnerable nationally), ringed kōkopu, giant kōkopu (at risk – declining) and īnanga (at risk – declining) are the five migratory galactic fish in the backpack catch. . The common sense of smell is also a native fish that is part of the whitebait catch.
Whitebait spends part of his life in fresh water and part of his life in the sea. Each species grows to a different size, has a different lifespan, and a different reproduction pattern. If allowed to grow, some species can reach up to 60cm in length, while others can live for more than a decade.
