Support for tougher whitebait fishing regulations does not surprise

A major survey of whitebaiting in the country has revealed huge support for tougher regulations on the practice.

The Department of Conservation surveyed nearly 3000 members of the public between October 2018 and February 2019 with 89.3 per cent agreeing that something needed to be done to keep the fishery sustainable.

More than 75 per cent also "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that there needed to be a "bag limit" or some form of restriction on how much whitebait could be caught.

Other issues included inadequate regulation of the fishery, people disregarding the rules, people not respecting the fishery as a shared resource, people not knowing about the fishing rules (lack of education), not enough enforcement of the rules.

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Timaru whitebaiter Bill Begg said he was not surprised by the results.

"I think most whitebaiters would agree there needs to be some form of restriction, whether it's a bag limit or having days within the season where you can't fish.

"We want the whitebait season to be stable, we don't want it to be decimated like it has been in the West Coast."

Begg said there had still been some very busy whitebaiting seasons in South Canterbury over the past few years.

"We had the highest-ever haul at the Waihao Box about three years ago, while we had the biggest ever run at Smithfield a year or so ago.

"There's still lots of opportunities for whitebaiting in South Canterbury."

The whitebait season is open August 15-November 30 (inclusive) in all areas of New Zealand except the West Coast of the South Island and the Chatham Islands.

Last year, the Canterbury Aoraki Conservation Board expressed its concern about the status of whitebait Inanga in New Zealand, and called for urgent action in an open letter to the Ministers of Conservation, Environment and Fisheries.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage was also not surprised by the survey results.

"I think it reflects New Zealanders' strong connection to nature and the desire to make sure our native whitebait species survive and thrive into the future," Sage said.

"The survey demonstrated strong public support to make sure whitebait habitats are healthy and thrive for future generations. Whitebait are currently in decline. Four of the six native species that make up the whitebait fishery are threatened or at risk of extinction – giant kōkopu, shortjaw kōkopu, inanga and kōararo."

Sage said a DOC discussion document on proposals to improve whitebait management will be issued later this year.

"It may include changes to regulations. Any future changes to the whitebait regulations need to be carefully thought through and be informed by public comment and views," Sage said.

"That takes time. In the meantime DOC will continue to enforce the existing regulations. Protection of spawning habitat is critical to improving whitebait populations so landowners have a key responsibility here."