“WHITEBAIT”

Hokitika River danger ‘worst in memory’

By CHERYL RILEY - The Greymouth Star | Thursday, 23 August 2012

TAKE CARE: Maritime safe boating adviser, Max Dowell.

WITH THE West Coast whitebait season just around the corner, anyone intending to fish the Hokitika River mouth is warned the conditions are the most dangerous of maritime safe boating adviser Max Dowell’s experience.

“Last year was bad enough but this year it is extremely dangerous — the worst in living memory,” Mr Dowell said.

All whitebaiters, and especially those fishing the Hokitika River mouth, were advised to wear a lifejacket.

“For $100 you can have a lightweight, comfortable lifejacket — the cheapest life insurance you can buy.”

He suggested whitebaiters fishing at the river mouth should have eyes in the back of their heads and be on constant alert for waves washing over the bar at high tide and in big seas.

The long sand bar driving towards the south was moving and dangerous, and a dividing channel in the middle was deep and the current was swift. Fishing on the island south of the channel was particularly dangerous.

In Canterbury, it was common practice to whitebait in the waves, and he feared for fishermen from the east coast fishing in the waves at Hokitika, unsuspecting of the strong surges of the Tasman Sea and the deep water at the river mouth.

The Hokitika beach was deep and starved for gravel since the river was pushing north below the Hokitika Bridge and cutting away the island, Mr Dowell said.

Meanwhile, Department of Conservation compliance officers are concerned about the age old problem of whitebaiters’ rubbish.

“Every year we ask whitebaiters not to leave rubbish behind,” compliance officer Ted Brennan said.

“Not only is it unsightly, but bits of iron and wood with nails end up on the beach. Plastic bags wash out to sea, where they persist for a long time and pose a danger to marine mammals.”

Mr Brennan said it was sheer laziness on the part of whitebaiters.

“After all they are happy to cart the stuff onto the river and just too lazy to cart it away again. “Our message to whitebaiters is to clean up after yourselves — it is our backyard as well as yours.”

http://www.greystar.co.nz/content/hokitika-river-danger-%E2%80%98worst-memory%E2%80%99