Experiment In Whitebait Culture Comes to an End

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26849, 13 August 1948, Page 4

Experiment In Whitebait Culture Comes to an End

Although the whitebait season is now open, it is probable that it will be a week or two before supplies come on to the Dunedin market from Martin's Bay and Big Bay, on the West Coast. Southern Scenic Airtrips personnel, who will be flying the consignments over,, are at present engaged in preparing their landing strips anti in setting up two-way radio transmitting equipment. They told the Daily Times at the week-end that an initial catch of 4oz of whitebait had been taken and this had been presented to the camp dog. Whether or not the dog made the .traditional “first of the season” wish is not known. A consignment of 121 b was brought to Queenstown this week where it found buyers at 12s 6d a pound. Meanwhile, an Alexandra resident’s interesting experiment with a whitebait, which was given a progress report in the Daily Times some weeks ago, has come to an inglorious end. He had suspected that a whitebait, if kept long enough, would turn into something, and in a spirit of scientific inquiry had installed one lonely whitebait, in a can full of water which was periodically changed. Named Philippa, the whitebait became something of a household pel. Winter weather made life full of hazards for the tiny fish—each night it was an icicle and not until the day’s thaw would it return to being a whitebait. In .fact, its owner considered that he had the only schizophrenic whitebait in captivity. But Philippa apparently yearned for freedom. Last week, when the water in the can was being changed, the whitebait made a dive for the open plughole. Philippa was last sighted swimming strongly in thb direction of the drain. The frustrated experimenter has issued a request that if anyone catches an obviously house-broken whitebait during the season, they should forward it to him. It will be Philippa.