Whitebaiters aided

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32450, 10 November 1970, Page 10

Whitebaiters aided

Do-it-yourself whitebaiters will be delighted to learn that, if studies now being undertaken by staff at the Fisheries Research Division of the Marine Department are successful, they may one day know more exactly where and when to venture out and expect to catch whitebait in profusion. The Marine Department says that research has established that contrary tv common belief, there are five different species of whitebait in New Zealand. The composition of the whitebait runs varies from one river to another, according to the origin of the water in each riverswamps, forests, glaciers. Many factors such as tides, river levels; water turbidity, temperature, oxygen and acidity may affect whitebait migrations, and research is aimed at understanding these. The quantity of whitebait entering a river varies greatly from year to year, month to month, day to day, and hour to hour. Yearly and monthly variations are not understood. Although it is commonly believed that the best runs coincide with the spring tides. * studies suggest that this is not so, but they usually follow several days after floods. On any day the run usually starts as the tide begins to flood and ceases as the tide begins to ebb. Although whitebait occur throughout New Zealand, the most productive rivers are in South Westland, where the environment has remained largely undisturbed and the rivers are in their natural condition.