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The post shows fresh and frozen whitebait for sale.
A Facebook post advertising whitebait for sale at $ 88 a kilogram sparked a backlash.
A post on the “Buy, Sell and Trade Chch” page offered the tiny fish for $ 30 a pound ($ 66 a kilo) frozen or $ 40 a pound ($ 88 / kg) fresh.
He did not specify the total volume available, but one image showed several bags of frozen fish and fresh cubed whitebait.
While legal, the sale of whitebait is widely frowned upon, as four of the six species in the whitebait catch are classified as endangered or endangered.
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The Facebook ad left a bad taste in the mouths of many social media users, with a post on Reddit labeling it as “terribly greedy.”
“I don’t care if the sale of whitebait is legal, looting our rivers of kilos just to sell with a prior profit is terribly greedy, 4 of the 5 species of whitebait are in danger of extinction because of the j …
John Hawkins / Things
The management of the whitebait is being reviewed, but currently there are no catch limits and the sale of the fish is allowed.
Several commenters called for a ban on trash sales, while others suggested informing the advertiser to Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI).
“I hate seeing this so much. Only take what you need for 1 meal. Don’t fill the freezer, ”read one comment.
Another said the post was “disgusting.” “I love a whitebait fritter, but I won’t. We need to stop this. “
The management of whitebait is currently under review and the Department of Conservation received 11,000 submissions on its consultation document.
Proposed changes include the designation of safe havens for whitebait spawning, a shorter whitebait season, and the phasing out of whitebait exports and large-volume trapping nets.
There are no plans to introduce a licensing system or ban the commercial sale of whitebait in New Zealand.
Meanwhile, there are no catch limits for whitebait, but fishermen are encouraged to keep their catch small and take only what they need.
DOUG FIELD / THINGS
Whitebait enthusiast Bill Begg cooks whitebait burgers on his bus. (Video first published in October 2017)
According to the DOC, those who sell trash must follow MPI regulations on trash and food safety, and pay taxes on their profits.
Forest and Bird freshwater advocate Tom Kay said that while it was disappointing to see the backpack for sale on Facebook, the public’s reaction was encouraging.
“People really find this quite outrageous, and we look forward to seeing it when those presentations go public,” he said.
Forest and Bird had been pushing for a catch limit, a licensing system, and some way to keep track of what was being caught and where.
Other fisheries were monitored or had quota systems, but rucksack management was a “black hole”.
“We really need political parties to commit to doing something about it in the next term,” Kay said.
“Otherwise, the risk is that the fishery will collapse and, if that happens, we will lose a part of the lifestyle of kiwis and endangered species.”
