“WHITEBAIT”

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Hooked on West Coast whitebait? Beware of imiations!

By JOELLE DALLY - The Canterbury Star | Friday, 26 November 2010

Whitebait fans — beware!

The so-called "West Coast" catch you are frying up for dinner may have come from the Avon River.

Medical authorities say people are still flouting local whitebaiting bans on polluted rivers and selling their fish off as West Coast catches.

And local fish and chip shop owners are none the wiser.

However, the whitebaiting season had actually been very poor on the coast, said Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Alistair Humphrey.

The local whitebaiting bans apply to the Avon, Styx, Kaiapoi and Waimakariri rivers and will stay in place until the end of the season, which officially finishes in four days.

Dr Humphrey said that even though water quality in earthquake-affected rivers and estuaries had returned to pre-earthquake levels, it was not safe to go whitebaiting or swimming, as contamination levels would still be dangerous to anyone who ingested the water.

This was particularly important, as human contamination would have leaked from sewers cracked in the earthquake, meaning a serious health risk. Illnesses could range from diarrhoea and vomiting, to hepatitis, he said.

"Although some people think whitebait is safe because it is cooked, the water in which the whitebait is trapped and frozen will contain human sewage, which can contaminate your kitchen and utensils," he said.

"You may not get sick from eating a whitebait patty, but you could get sick from consuming a salad prepared in the same kitchen."

While boat users can reduce their risk by washing down their boats after use and showering, as well as scrupulous hand-washing, the same is not true for whitebaiters."

City council water and waste unit manager Mark Christison said while there had been a remarkable drop in river contamination levels, damage to the many kilometres of sewer pipes close to the Styx, Kaiapoi, Waimakariri and Avon rivers meant there would almost certainly be some contamination after rainfall, and possibly at other times as well.

Anyone caught flouting the whitebaiting bans could face a fine of up to $5000 or three months' imprisonment.

http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/local/news/hooked-on-west-coast-whitebait-beware-of-imiations/3931652

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait season over

The Marlborough Express | Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Keen whitebaiters are being reminded to remove all their gear from the water when the whitebait season closes today.

Marlborough Department of Conservation community relations programme manager Colin Davis said that while the season had been mediocre, there were still lots of people checking out the Wairau Diversion, the Opawa and Wairau rivers, and Roses Overflow east of Blenheim.

Mr Davis said everyone was now required to remove their screens and other gear from rivers and other waterways.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/4405330/News-in-brief


Slim pickings for most whitebaiters

The Gisborne Herald | Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Whitebait catches have been variable and generally down in the Gisborne and Wairoa districts but one Opotiki fisherman has a whopper of a tale.

Fishing at the mouth of the Waioeka River, he took home an “exceptional” catch of 137 kilograms in just one day, says James Holborow of the Department of Conservation.

Meanwhile, most whitebaiters in Gisborne and Wairoa counted themselves lucky to cover the bottom of their bucket.

The season closes today and DoC is concerned about the sustainability of the whitebait species.

Mr Holborow says fishermen should take enough for a meal and leave the rest.

“This is usually not the case, with prices of up to $100 per kilogram and no maximum daily catch also increasing the likelihood of illegal fishing.”

Good catches were usually because of a rare combination of events that create optimal conditions for spawning and a lot of juvenile fish in the water systems.

The fencing of many waterways in the Eastern Bay of Plenty has also helped with spawning by making riparian vegetation available instead of being heavily grazed.

The most whitebaiting in this district is done in the Wairoa River and there are not too many people bragging about their success.

Barry Clark has been fishing opposite Osler’s Bakery in Marine Parade for more than two decades and says it is the worst season he has ever had.

“It has been terrible. The first week after opening was OK but not since then.”

He has not caught much more than two pints in the last seven weeks, he says.

Catches reported in the Gisborne City area were variable due to significant rainfall events but there were some good catches reported in the Uawa.

Compliance was good in Wairoa and Gisborne, which includes the Te Arai, Waimata and Uawa rivers.

DoC staff spent over 800 hours on whitebait regulations compliance in rivers in the Bay of Plenty, which includes Gisborne.

Fifteen people on 25 charges are awaiting prosecution. Five of these are repeat offenders, which is disappointing.

“Offending mainly involved the seizure of nets for fishing within 20 metres of floodgates or structures and leaving a net unattended,” said Mr Holborow.

“The fishing off floodgates is the most common offence. Staff also receive excellent support from NZ Police during the season” says Mr Holborow.

“Next year DoC staff will continue to focus on known hot spots for illegal fishing and a no-tolerance approach of no warnings being issued, and people being prosecuted.”

http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=20437

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

All over!


ALL SET: Back on opening day of the 2010 whitebait season (on 15th August), Michael Halder checks his net on
the Aparima River in Western Southland with his daughters Natalie, 9, and Bree, 4. The Invercargill family took
up their usual spot on the river for the start of the whitebaiting season. — ROBYN EDIE/The Southland Times.

AND that's all folks!

The 2010 whitebaiting season has ended for most of New Zealand (it ended for the West Coast just over two weeks ago) and that's it for another year until the 2011 whitebait season begins. You'll have to make do with frozen whitebait until then.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait bonanza in October

The Timaru Herald | Wednesday, 01 December 2010

The best day of the whitebait season in South Canterbury this year was in October, Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Steve Harraway says.

Mr Harraway said the season, which ended yesterday, had been typical for the East Coast, with both good and also disappointing days.

The high point of the season came on the Tuesday before Labour Weekend with people netting catches up to 10kg.

However at other times, Mr Harraway said people spoken to at Washdyke and Waihao Box had been "a bit disappointed".

One comment often mentioned to DOC staff was that there were "just too many people", and restricted access to some spots could have led to more people at Smithfield and Opihi, Mr Harraway said.

Whitebait are the young of native fish such as giant kokopu, shortjaw kokopu, banded kokopu, koaro and inanga, collectively known as galaxiids. They are a variety of native fish species that spend six months at sea and then make their way up rivers and streams.

The whitebaiting season lasts until November 30 everywhere except the West Coast of the South Island, where the season ends on November 14. Fishing is permitted only between 5am and 8pm or between 6am and 9pm when daylight saving comes into effect.

With habitat degradation leading to a decline in whitebait numbers, DOC staff monitor popular fishing sites to ensure whitebaiters comply with regulations.

While there had been reports of people fishing after hours, Mr Harraway said by the time patrols arrived, no-one was on site or engaged in any illegal activity.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/4408091/Whitebait-bonanza-in-October


Ocean fails to give up lost whitebaiter

By CHARLEY MANN - The Canterbury Star | Friday, 03 December 2010


LOST: Mary Snoep said the water looked “mean” the day her
husband John dived into the water in an effort to rescue to
whitebaiters who had been swept out to sea by a wave.

It was supposed to be a morning like any other.

While on holiday in Westland, Christchurch man John Karl Snoep left his family and went down to whitebait at his regular spot.

And as usual, his wife, Mary, went to meet him at the Okarito River mouth half an hour later.

But on this particular morning, the only sign of her husband was his bucket and his net.

Mrs Snoep said she and her son, Rob, who was with her, "just stood in shock", until the police arrived minutes later.

They said her husband had disappeared while attempting to rescue two whitebaiters who had been caught by a wave.

The 76-year-old from Taylors Mistake got into trouble when he reached one of the men and disappeared after grabbing his arm.

The two men were eventually rescued.

But an extensive search to find Mr Snoep's body failed to uncover any trace of him.

A memorial service has been planned for Tuesday, December 07.

Speaking publicly for the first time yesterday, Mrs Snoep said she had accepted that her husband's body was unlikely to ever be found.

"If he has got to be somewhere, it (the ocean) is where he would prefer to be," Mrs Snoep, 75, said.

She said her husband would not have given his safety a second thought when he dived into the water that fateful Sunday morning on October 24.

A keen swimmer and former lifeguard, Mr Snoep would swim each morning with his brother, Otto, who lived nearby.

"John must have gone in after them, but you have to be quite fit to rescue people because they panic," Mrs Sneop said.

The couple had been holidaying at Okarito, in Westland, for more than 20 years, after stumbling on the place "by accident" while searching for a good whitebaiting spot with friends, Mrs Snoep said.

But after Mr Snoep disappeared, she said she had never seen the water look "so mean".

She said the support from people in Okarito had been incredible.

"We love the people, love the place.

"When John was missing, they came rushing at us with bacon and egg pies and all sorts of goodies and sympathy," she said.

Mrs Snoep said the sea was a major theme in her husband's life.

He was a founding member of the Canterbury Underwater Diving Club in the 1950s and was heavily involved in water sports at Taylors Mistake.

She said he was "a quiet, hard working man."

The couple met working together at a glass factory in the 1970s — Mr Snoep was the engineering manager and Mrs Snoep was in the graphic design department — and they married in 1984.

Mr Snoep went on to work as an engineering manager for Shell for 20 years, before retiring in 2005.

Tuesday's memorial service will be held at 2pm at the Lamb & Hayward chapel on Kerrs Road.

http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/local/news/ocean-fails-to-give-up-lost-whitebaiter/3932534


Illicit white baiting rises near Haast

By MATTHEW HAGGART - Otago Daily Times | Saturday, 04 December 2010

Illegal whitebaiting incidents have surged 35% in South Westland as Department of Conservation staff consider whether to prosecute for the more than 50 breaches they discovered this year.

Doc South Westland area manager Jo Macpherson said the department was investigating more than 50 alleged breaches of the Whitebait Fishing (West Coast) Regulations this season, compared with the 37 offences which took place in 2009.

She attributed the higher number of detected breaches for the 2010 season, which ended a month ago, to an increase in patrols by DOC staff.

Whitebaiting hotspots around Haast, such as the Waiatoto River, had not experienced as much activity because of affected river and fishing conditions.

The mouth of the Waiatoto River had changed this season, which meant there was less whitebaiting around the lagoon and a corresponding drop in detected offences, she said.

The most common whitebaiting offences recorded by DOC officers were people leaving their nets unattended (fishers not staying within 10m of their net) and fishing more than a third of the total waterway channel.

DOC "warranted officers" had made several trips to the remote Cascade and Paringa Rivers and those inspections had resulted in net seizures for fishing offences, Ms Macpherson said.

People found breaching whitebaiting regulations could be liable for prosecution and a fine from a court judge.

During the 2009 season, the 37 offences recorded by South Westland DOC staff led to eight successful prosecutions, Ms Macpherson said.

A late season run by whitebait resulted in several confirmed catches of more than 100kg by some fishermen in the Haast area this year.

The "general atmosphere" on rivers this year was a lot more amicable, Ms Macpherson said.

"Last year's season was particularly heated on some of the rivers, particularly the Waiatoto.

"[We] put considerable resources into patrolling South Westland rivers this season, about 1000 staff hours compared to the 850 hours in 2009."

It was too soon to say how many prosecutions might be undertaken by DOC for whitebaiting breaches for the 2010 season, she said.

In 2009, 12 people were prosecuted for illegal whitebaiting.

Four people were offered police diversion, while the remaining eight were convicted and issued fines of between $130 and $1000 as well as court costs, Ms Macpherson said.

http://www.odt.co.nz/regions/west-coast/139226/illicit-white-baiting-rises-near-haast

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebaiting ban questioned

By CULLEN SMITH - The Canterbury Star | Tuesday, 07 December 2010


WARNED: Mr McQuillan's quirky sign advertising whitebait
caught just 200 metres from his Kainga Road home.

Kainga whitebaiter Gary McQuillan has been fishing the Waimakariri River for more than 50 years and claims health authorities got it wrong with a recent whitebaiting ban.

Unrepentant after receiving an official warning from the Food Safety Authority for selling whitebait caught in the Waimakariri after a ban imposed following the September 04 earthquake, Mr McQuillan said he'd never seen the river so clean.

He risked a $100,000 fine or 12 months' jail for breaching the Food Act.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey banned whitebaiting in the Waimakariri, Styx, Kaiapoi and Avon rivers after earthquake damage to kilometres of sewer pipes and septic tanks near the rivers because of the risk posed by untreated human sewage discharging into the waterways.

Dr Humphrey said even though the whitebait was cooked, the water in which it was frozen would contain human sewage that could contaminate kitchens and utensils.

But Mr McQuillan told the North Canterbury News the Waimakariri had been badly polluted in the past from freezing works, fellmongery and timber treatment discharges.

No one's ever got crook. We were allowed to eat it in those days, he said.

I know what I'm talking about.

The health department got it wrong.

Mr McQuillan said he didn't fish near the mouth of the river soon after the earthquake, but was confident the bait he caught just 200 metres from his Kainga Road home was crystal clear.

The water up here is fresh. We've eaten it for two months, he said. Everyone did. There's nothing wrong with it.

Mr McQuillan sells his bait for a novel 3c each, or $30 a pound. As a boy growing up on the river he'd once counted how many bait were in a pound and found they numbered about 1000.

He dismissed his official warning delivered on November 11 as rubbish.

You don't feed your grandkids if there's a risk, do you? There's no risk involved.

The whitebaiting season ended on November 30, but Mr McQuillan said he'd caught fewer this year and had only about a pound left for sale.

http://www.starcanterbury.co.nz/local/news/whitebaiting-ban-questioned/3932921

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait secrets revealed

Media Release - Otago Regional Council | Tuesday, 22 February 2011

Ever wondered where whitebait come from, how they spawn, and what influences their numbers?

A public whitebait field day is being held in South Otago next month to increase awareness, and knowledge of the local delicacy.

The Otago Regional Council (ORC) and the Department of Conservation (DoC) want to increase local farmers’ and landowners’ awareness that protecting the riverbank is critical for whitebait to flourish.

ORC land resources officer Alice Webster says many farmers already have the best protection in place — ‘a fence’. If they can keep stock away from the grassy berm next to the water — especially from just before spawning to its end, it will help protect whitebait which are classified as ‘in decline’.

If there is no permanent fence, a temporary one put up during this time ensures stock are not eating the grass needed for Inanga (the tiny native fish which make up most of the whitebait catch) to spawn in. This stops the eggs from being trampled, and will help hugely in the overall protection of this species.

Inanga are currently spawning along the banks of the lower Clutha River/Mata-Au, and its tributaries. They spawn monthly from January to May in the moist grassy mulch at the base of vegetation, on the banks of rivers and streams, on the spring high tide.

Their eggs remain on the banks for around 30 days until they hatch on the next big high tide and then wash out to sea.

Miss Webster says DoC freshwater fish specialist Pete Ravenscroft will share his knowledge of the species, and the Mata-Au branch, including when and where they spawn, and their ideal habitat. He will also bring along live native fish to view.

The field day is being held at local dairy farmer Dean Gilbert’s Inch Clutha property on Thursday March 10, from 11am to 1.30pm. It winds up with a farm walk to view innovative practices and features of his dairy farm, before finishing with coffee and sandwiches.

______________________________________

For more information contact:

Alice Webster
Land resources officer
ORC
Ph 0800 474 082

http://www.orc.govt.nz/News-and-Notices/Media-Releases/Media-Releases---2011/Whitebait-secrets-revealed

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Wee whitebait focus of big growth aim

By CAROLE LONG - Bay of Plenty Times | Thursday, 10 March 2011


IN DECLINE: Whitebaiters have flocked to the Kaituna River
for many years and still do so but the catches have plunged.
 — Photo: Bay Of Plenty Times, August 16, 1985.

Whitebait, those small, delicate fish that cause delight and despair on the riverbanks of the Bay of Plenty in springtime, now have a better chance of survival in the Kaituna, thanks to some keen volunteers.

The public will have the chance to learn of their work when Peter Ellery, a member of the Maketu Taiapure Trust, is guest speaker at a meeting hosted by Forest & Bird on Monday, March 14, at the Papamoa Community Centre.

The loss of wetland habitat in the watershed of the Kaituna River (and many other rivers) has impacted most detrimentally on those rivers' whitebait runs. Off-river wetland lagoons, ponds and creeks are the preferred habitat for inanga, the predominant species in most rivers' whitebait runs. In the Kaituna River, the whitebait catch has dropped from a reported 20-ton harvests just after World War II to less than 100kg per season in some recent years. That can mostly be attributed to the conversion of swamp to farmland. In the Bay of Plenty, only 1.5 per cent of the freshwater wetlands that existed in 1940 remain.

To improve the whitebait fishery, more habitat for rearing inanga needs to be restored. That has been recognised by the Maketu Taiapure Trust, and through the Monitoring and Enhancement subcommittee there has been a goal of providing more enhanced inanga habitat.

In 2007, more ponds were excavated at The Borrow Pits, a recorded inanga spawning area and year-round rearing area.

Planting of native species, aquatic and terrestrial weed control and predator trapping, have made ongoing improvements to that area. Numbers of rearing inanga have increased each season since the ponds were established and with ongoing management can be expected to keep increasing. Plans for more ponds along the river are well under way, with volunteers always welcome.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting on Monday, March 14, at 7.30pm, at the Papamoa Community Centre, to learn about the variety of species in the "catch" and work being done to improve spawning sites.

To follow up on the meeting, a field trip is planned for Saturday, March 19, to inspect the borrow pits and look at some of the fish, plants and pests that live in and around the site. Meet at the Boucher Ave carpark, behind Export Meats, at 8.45am, to carpool for the trip.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/rural/news/wee-whitebait-focus-of-big-growth-aim/3943816

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

More whitebaiting offences

By MATTHEW HAGGART - Otago Daily Times | Thursday, 17 March 2011

A surge in the number of illegal whitebaiting incidents during the 2010 season has resulted in charges being laid against 10 people for allegedly breaching fishing regulations on South Westland rivers.

Department of Conservation staff covering the South Westland Weheka area issued 57 infringement notices to whitebaiters last season — a 35% increase from 2009.

Doc South Westland community relations spokeswoman Tina Pizzato said 10 whitebaiters had been issued with summons to appear in court for alleged breaches of the Whitebait Fishing (West Coast) Regulations.

Offenders can be fined for a breach of the regulations and have their whitebaiting nets and gear confiscated under statutory powers.

Some of the whitebaiters who will appear in court were charged because of a repeated breach of fishing regulations, or the "offence was serious enough to prosecute them for a first offence", Ms Pizzato said.

Of the 57 fishing regulation breach notices issued, 47 were either for a minor or first offence, Ms Pizzato said.

"These people will be getting warning letters, and any gear that was seized will be returned to them."

The most common whitebaiting offences recorded during the 2010 season were people leaving their nets unattended (fishers not staying within 10m of their net) and fishing more than a third of the total waterway channel.

The number of whitebaiting infringements had increased from the 2009 season, when there were 45 "write-ups" and eight prosecutions, Ms Pizzato said.

http://www.odt.co.nz/your-town/haast/152139/more-whitebaiting-offences

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait festival still on

By NICHOLAS McBRIDE - The Greymouth Star | Monday, 21 March 2011



A new West Coast whitebait festival, timed for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, will still be going ahead despite Christchurch having been stripped of its games due to earthquake damage at AMI Stadium.

Tourism West Coast general manager Matt Ewen said the festival, celebrating the West Coast and its favourite dish, had been planned to coincide with the Christchurch games before it was decided they would be moved.

He said yesterday it would still go ahead regardless of the change: “We’re still pressing on fully.”

Rugby World Cup Minister Murray McCully has said he hoped the five pool matches that had been scheduled for Christchurch would still be played in the South Island.

Dunedin and Invercargill are likely contenders.

With this in mind, Mr Ewen said he believed a whitebait festival on the West Coast would not be too badly affected because visitors would still be in the South Island.

He hoped that initial research, which suggested 11,000 World Cup visitors would visit the West Coast, would still be accurate given that the pool games were not all leaving the island.

A separate festival, to be hosted in Christchurch, had been planned by the Westland District Council business unit but has since been cancelled. Mr Ewen said that was not connected to the Tourism West Coast proposal, which would be conducted as part of the 2011 Real New Zealand Festival, a celebration of New Zealand and its regions.

The whitebait festival is intended to be six weeks long and will be hosted throughout the West Coast, from Karamea to Haast. It will involve various activities such as a whitebait menu challenge and a photo competition.

Mr Ewen said Tourism West Coast had applied for funding from the Lotteries Commission and was currently awaiting approval.

If the event was successful and got good participation and support it could become an annual event.

“Just look at the Wildfoods Festival,” he said.

Former Destination Marlborough chief executive Dominic Moran has been appointed to co-ordinate the festival.

He said the reception from businesses about the event had been positive.

Whitebaiting was a genuine New Zealand-type experience and would be a good “hook” to get people to the Coast, Mr Moran said.

http://www.greystar.co.nz/content/whitebait-festival-still

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait On The Riverbank



A yummy feed you can enjoy while continuing to fish for more whitebait ...
(wait for the Whitebait Season to begin though, or you'll be in “deep-shit”)

• Break two eggs into 250 g of whitebait.
• Add ½ tsp Baking Powder if desired.
• Melt butter in frying pan until just golden.
• Fry patties, turning once white/golden.

Eat between two pieces of bread with salt and pepper, lemon juice or mint sauce.

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Making the Otaki river more fish friendly

News Release - Greater Wellington Regional Council | Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Greater Wellington is trialling a new floodgate device to allow native fish and their juveniles (whitebait) more time to migrate between the sea and freshwater upstream.

Biodiversity Restoration Adviser Anna Burrows says a new fish friendly attachment consisting of a cantilever and counterweight will be fitted to the Otaki River floodgate in early April so that it closes more slowly, allowing fish more time to move upstream on the incoming tide.

“Many of our whitebait need to migrate upstream where they spend their adult lives in our rivers before swimming back downstream to breeding grounds to lay their eggs.”

“Floodgates play a critical part in protecting our communities from floods but they can also keep out whitebait as they swim upstream on the incoming tide because they close too quickly.”

“This device is designed to help keep the floodgate open long enough for whitebait to move upstream, while not impeding the operation of the floodgate in any way — it won’t prevent flow to the sea during flood events.”

Because the floodgate closes more slowly, more salt water will flow upstream above the gate increasing the length of the stream where whitebait can breed. Increasing the periods when flows occur will encourage a more natural habitat for our native fish and some of our aquatic invertebrates, Anna says.

“It’s still early days but if the device is successful we will look at installing it on floodgates in other parts of the region.”

How does the fish friendly gate work?

• At low tide counter-weights keep the flap open.

• As the water rises the fish friendly gate delays the closing moment.

• The rising water continues to push and hold the flap closed as usual.

• During up-stream flood events the secondary hinge-point allows the gate to over-ride the closing mechanism and open fully to expel the flood waters.

______________________________________

Fish-friendly rivers talk

When: Tuesday 05 April at 3pm.

Where: Otaki Memorial Hall (Main Hall).

Specialist Environmental Engineer and passionate conservationist Kelly Hughes of ATS Environmental will give a talk about obstacles in rivers, how they affect fish and new innovations that can be used to help our native species negotiate them.

Anyone is welcome, tea & coffee and biscuits to be provided.

RSVP to Anna.Burrows@gw.govt.nz or call Anna on 027 612 0790.

http://www.gw.govt.nz/making-the-otaki-river-more-fish-friendly

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Spawn site protection

By HELENA de REUS - Otago Daily Times | Saturday, 02 April 2011


Farmers learn about whitebait habitats and how to protect them at an Otago Regional Council
open day on the Gilbert farm at Inch Clutha last month. — Photo: Otago Regional Council.

Farmers with land beside waterways in the Clutha district are learning how to help boost populations of a tiny fish that is a favourite treat for many Southerners.

About 35 farmers attended a field day run by the Otago Regional Council on Dean Gilbert's property in Inch Clutha, near Balclutha, last month.

They were told by Department of Conservation freshwater ranger Pete Ravenscroft how the eggs of inanga — tiny native fish which make up most of the whitebait catch — are laid above the normal water level on the moist, grassy banks of rivers and streams.

"Pete showed us that we can protect their habitats with a single [electric fence] wire," Mr Gilbert said.

He said he had fenced off 3km to exclude stock from a valuable whitebait-spawning area on the Clutha Mata-Au, which bordered his property.

"We fenced it off five years ago. We don't want cows upsetting the fish — we're fishermen too," he said.

Cows were not the only stock to upset fish, he said. One deer farmer mentioned deer often upset whitebait and other fish by wallowing in creeks and rivers.

Otago Regional Council land resources officer Alice Webster said inanga needed grassy edges on which to spawn, so where there was no permanent fence, a simple electrified "hot-wire" kept out stock, protecting the eggs from being trampled or eaten by stock. The move also helped improve water quality.

Whitebait populations had been declining for many years, she said.

The field day also looked at environmentally beneficial farm practices Mr Gilbert has put in place on his property. They include cambered laneways to keep waste from running into drains, yard water diversion and effluent management.

Ms Webster said the Gilbert farm was a good example of a dairy farmer taking actions with positive environmental outcomes.

Inanga eggs, laid during the high spring tides from January through to May, take a month to hatch before washing out to sea. March is generally the peak time for inanga to spawn on the Clutha River.

http://www.odt.co.nz/news/farming/154385/spawn-site-protection

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Search for Wairoa whitebait spawning sites

By ROGER MORONEY - Hawke's Bay Today | Tuesday, 05 April 2011


HIDDEN: Wairoa DOC officer Hans Rook looks for whitebait
eggs in Huramua Stream, a tributary of Wairoa River.
 — Photo: Hawke's Bay Today.

Ask any "veteran" whitebaiter in Hawke's Bay about how the fishing has been over the past couple of seasons and they are likely to remark that it's not been a patch on how it was "back in the old days".

While the Department of Conservation had no exact figures on the falling catches, whitebaiters have noticed the numbers dropping, and a survey on where the elusive whitebait are spawning around the Wairoa region is aimed at addressing that fall.

"Just where are the whitebait laying their eggs?" is the question asked by Helen Jonas, a biodiversity ranger for DOC in Wairoa.

"If we can find out where whitebait are spawning, then we can take measures to protect these sites if needed."

She said veteran whitebaiters were the most knowledgeable when it came to working out where the elusive "galaxiids" start their lives and she wanted to hear from any who knew, or came across, spawning grounds.

The little fish lay eggs among vegetation on stream edges when water levels were high in autumn. The eggs mature over a few weeks and when water levels rose again the eggs hatch and the larvae float out to sea, where they live through winter before returning in spring.

"They have exacting requirements for suitable spawning sites," Ms Jonas said.

"If these sites are protected they will return year after year."

In recent years research had shown that polluted rivers and streams were mainly responsible for the disappearing whitebait, along with agriculture and flood-protection schemes, which had limited their territory.

"We want to hear from anyone with local knowledge of spawning sites.

These can be anywhere from the Mohaka, Wairoa, Waihua, Nuhaka and Kopuawhara Rivers and anywhere in between."

Anyone with information on spawning sites can call Ms Jonas on (06) 838 8252 or Bryan Welch at the Napier DOC office on 834 4841.

http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/search-for-wairoa-whitebait-spawning-sites/3947114

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Two ‘lazy and disrespectful’ whitebaiters fined for breach

By KATEE SHANKS - Rotorua Daily Post | Saturday, 16 April 2011



Two Whakatane men have paid the price for flouting whitebaiting regulations.

Travis Tane, 21, and Terrance Nathan, 39, both appeared in the Whakatane District Court before Community Magistrate Robyn Patterson, on charges of breaching the Whitebait Fisheries Act.

The court heard how on October 07 last year, Tane was seen by a Department of Conservation ranger fishing within 20m of a structure, in this case the Orini floodgates.

Whitebait regulations say no person shall fish for whitebait within 20m of any tide gate, floodgate, confluence or culvert, or fish from any bridge, or from any vessel.

Department of Conservation area manager for Gisborne and Whakatane, Andy Bassett, said there were a number of signs at the Orini floodgates saying it was illegal to whitebait fish within 20m.

Tane was fined $300 and court costs of $132.

On the same day Nathan was fined $400 and court costs of $132 for fishing within 20m of the Orini floodgate. Nathan also had his net confiscated.

Like Tane, Nathan was seen by a ranger breaching the regulations.

Mr Bassett said he was pleased with the convictions.

"We hope these most recent convictions will make people think twice before breaking the regulations in future," Mr Bassett said.

"Both the offenders' actions in fishing within a restricted area show them to be lazy and disrespectful whitebaiters."

He said regulations were in place to protect the whitebait fishery.

"Whitebait fishing is enjoyed by a large number of people in Whakatane and is a resource that is not infinite."

http://www.rotoruadailypost.co.nz/local/news/two-lazy-and-disrespectful-whitebaiters-fined-for-/3948382

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Fishing close to gates costs

SunLive | Tuesday, 03 May 2011

A 39 year old man is having to pay a $1000 fine after being found guilty of whitebait fishing within 20 metres of the Orini floodgates.

Matiu Hohua was sentenced in the Whakatane District Court to pay the fine and $130 court costs for his actions on September 17 and 21, when he was observed fishing by the floodgate.

There are five signs at the floodgates indicating that is illegal to whitebait fish within 20 metres of them.

Department of Conservation Gisborne Whakatane area manager Andy Bassett says people must fish by the rules or face prosecution.

“We are very pleased with this outcome, the assistance of the police in apprehending Mr Hohua is also very good,” says Andy.

“We hope that by now people get the message strongly, Mr Hohua was a repeat offender and justice was served.”

http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/12796-fishing-close-to-gates-costs.html

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Pest fish putting native whitebait at risk

By VICKI WATERHOUSE - Manawatu Standard | Wednesday, 18 May 2011

PEST FISH that attack native fish could lead to native whitebait being wiped out in some lowland Manawatu waterways.

The pest fish have been found in high numbers in Manawatu.

Surveys were carried out more than a decade after extensive investigations by the Department of Conservation revealed high numbers of gambusia and koi carp.

Some eradication work was done and public awareness increased of how to curb the infestation.

Ecologists Natasha Petrove and Ursula Brandes were employed by DOC to see the effects of that eradication 10 years down the track.

The gambusia fish, also known as mosquito fish, is found in several Manawatu waterways.

The fish was introduced to New Zealand to control mosquito populations. However, it was discovered native fish were much better at it and gambusia were attacking native fish by nipping at their fins and eyes. They also competed with native fish for habitat and food.

Gambusia bred quickly and could quickly outnumber native fish.

"Unfortunately, we've now got these very aggressive, invasive little fish in lots of waterways," Miss Petrove said.

"This could lead to our native whitebait species being excluded from lowland waterways."

The gambusia appeared to be taking hold. Ecologists have recorded sightings in several sites in Manawatu, including Makowhai Stream near Sanson and Burke's Drain just south of Palmerston North.

"This is a shame, as they are very difficult to control once they are established in flowing water," Miss Petrove said.

Koi carp were less of a problem but were destructive in high numbers. They were released into waterways as ornamental fish, but deteriorated water quality and competed with native fish for their habitat.

Koi carp were only found in one of the sites surveyed by the ecologists, but were believed to be more widespread than the surveying revealed, with many people reporting sightings in other areas.

DOC said people spread these fish both accidentally and on purpose. Pest fish such as gambusia and koi carp could be inadvertently released into new waterways through transferring plants such as oxygen weed and water lilies.

Fish eggs and fry could be transported on leaves.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/manawatu-standard/news/5019666/Pest-fish-putting-native-whitebait-at-risk

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Hutt River clogged with ooze and toxic algae

By PAUL EASTON - The Dominion Post | Saturday, 21 May 2011


UNHEALTHY FOR WHITEBAIT: The Hutt Valley's treasured river. — Photo: The Dominion Post.

THE HUTT RIVER is bordered by paths, lined with parks, and peppered with swimming spots. It is the Hutt Valley's playground, but its duties do not end there. It is also the source of most of the drinking water for the Hutt and Wellington.

The river is under pressure. Toxic algae blooms plague it during summer and are believed responsible for the deaths of nine dogs.

Wastewater still flows into the river during wet weather about six times a year when the amount of water exceeds the capacity of the stormwater system.

A proposal to take up to 17 million extra litres a day from the Hutt River may pose a new threat.

Greater Wellington regional council has applied to cut the river's minimum flow for three years during work on water storage lakes at Kaitoke. The work will increase storage by 13 per cent and earthquake-strengthen the lakes.

Hutt city councillors backed the proposal with several caveats, including a halt to the extra take if the river's health suffers.

Councillor Max Shierlaw opposes the plan. "It is likely to reduce the water quality of the river, lead to increased instances of algal bloom because the conditions needed — low flow and warm water — will happen more often."

It highlights a lack of planning for extra water needs by Greater Wellington, he says. "They have no medium-term options and are resorting to trashing a significant regional asset."

CONCERNS about the health of the river led to the formation of the Friends of the Hutt River group this year. "You don't live in the Hutt Valley for the shopping. You live there because of the hills, the beauty of the place, and the river flowing through it," member Pat van Berkel says.

Toxic algal blooms, pollution and low water flows are the group's main worries.

"People are always saying when they were growing up, the Hutt River was full of water."

As the population grows, pressure on the river will increase. "They will all need water, and that's where it all comes from."

Toxic algal blooms stop people using the river at the height of summer. "It's quite a subtle effect, but it's taking away something that is very important," Mr van Berkel says.

Waiwhetu means "star-reflecting water". But poisoned by years of industry waste, the Waiwhetu Stream became the most polluted waterway in the region.

Once home to eels, whitebait and watercress, the stream instead hosted "Waiwhetu ooze", a black sludge, thick with traces of lead, copper, arsenic, zinc and mercury.

A $21 million project to scrape the ooze from the stream's banks wrapped up a year ago, with 56,000 tonnes of contaminated waste removed.

However, Hutt City Council still discharges wastewater, containing untreated sewage, into the stream during storms.

This week, 50,000 litres of treated effluent a day was pumped into the lower Waiwhetu Stream, after a joint in the main sewer pipeline failed at Eastbourne. From there, it flowed into Wellington Harbour. Repairs took four days.

Ted Taylor, Greater Wellington's environmental monitoring and investigations manager, says the Hutt River is "one of the better rivers in the region". Its upper reaches are in "excellent" health, its middle section "excellent to good", and its lower reaches "good to fair".

That is typical for a river flowing from the hills through farmland and an urban area to the sea, he says.

"You see a decline in clarity, and an increase in algal growth."

Threats to the river include runoff from stormwater drains, likely to increase as the population grows.

People need to realise that whatever goes into the stormwater system ends up in the river, and ultimately, Wellington Harbour, Mr Taylor says.

"If that can happen, we like to think we can maintain the water quality of the river."

Despite the $21m cleanup, the Waiwhetu Stream's quality remains poor. It has low levels of dissolved oxygen, poor clarity, and high levels of ammonia, zinc and nutrients.

Although the cleanup scraped thousands of tonnes of contaminated sludge from its banks, the stream still passes through industrial and suburban stretches, picking up contaminants along the way.

Zinc comes from car-tyre fragments, or washes off galvanised roofs. The presence of ammonia is a tell-tale sign of cross-connections - wastewater systems hooked up to stormwater drains, Mr Taylor says.

"It can be through poor plumbing practices. It may be done deliberately as an easy way out, or it can be a mistake."

Te Atiawa iwi representative Teri Puketapu says the Hutt River and Waiwhetu Stream are of great importance to Maori.

The Hutt River is feeling the strain of a growing population. "When I grew up, all of Naenae was market gardens."

The Waiwhetu was once an important source of food, such as eels and watercress.

"But I don't take anything from it now, and I don't know anyone who does," Mr Puketapu says.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/5035910/Hutt-River-clogged-with-ooze-and-toxic-algae

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Water heaters stolen from whitebaiters' huts: police

The Southland Times | Tuesday, 24 May 2011

THIEVES had stolen hot-water cylinders from at least seven whitebaiters' huts near the mouth of the Mataura River, police said.

All the huts, near Fortrose, were broken into during the past week and a four-wheel-drive vehicle was most likely used to get to the area from the Gorge Road highway, Waituna Lagoon entrance, Constable Craig Colyer, of Invercargill, said yesterday.

Anyone who might have seen suspicious activity was urged to contact the police, he said.

While police were not making a link between the thefts and high scrap-metal prices, prices have continued to spiral during the past five years.

In 2006, thieves targeting water cylinders — which have a copper inner — to take advantage of soaring scrap metal prices also made headlines in The Southland Times.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/southland-times/news/5044697/Water-heaters-stolen-police

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Up the creek: Auckland's dirtiest stream?

By ISSAC DAVISON - Weekend Herald | Saturday, 28 May 2011


NO WHITEBAIT HERE: John Smith looks
over the waters of the Puhinui Stream.
 — Photo: Greg Bowker.

A VOLUNTEER CLEAN-UP at Puhinui Stream, which winds through and under Auckland's south-western suburbs, once pulled "an entire student flat" from its waters.

"A washing machine, a fridge and a couch, all jammed in one corner" says Wai Care co-ordinator Andrew Jenks, who has led replanting and clean-up work there for 10 years.

In a day, volunteers filled two 6x6m skips with junk — tyres, rubbish bags, bikes, whiteware, road signs, shopping trolleys, paper, carpet and plastic food baskets.

As development has intensified in the area in the last 20 years, the 12km stream's middle sections have become a dumping ground. Long-time volunteer John Smith, 80, says the most recent working bee pulled an entire motorbike and car wreck from the stream's banks.

In March last year, a cement spill killed around 500 eels, some of them 50 years old. It was a "heartbreaking" moment for volunteers, many of whom work tirelessly to prevent the waterway becoming a wasteland.

Aucklanders orientate themselves through the road network. From above, motorways, not rivers, are the most distinctive shapes. But 10,000km of narrow streams — nearly all less than 2 metres wide — wend behind houses, through parks and under bridges.

The latest monitoring carried out by the former Auckland Regional Council found Puhinui was the dirtiest stream out of the thirty-one it tested.

Jenks says the tests are misleading because they were taken at the stream's dirtiest point.

But Puhinui's visible and measurable changes from top to bottom show the stress which development places on waterways.

Though junk and pollution events influence the stream's poor state, the most harmful pollutants are more insidious. Solvents, stormwater, and the slow trickle of manganese, cadmium and toxins make their way in from roads and nearby factories.

A Weekend Herald walk along the Puhinui's length found it was a tale of two streams.

Trickling out of Totara Park in Manurewa, you could mistake the top of Puhinui stream for a pristine part of the Waitakeres. Crystal-clear water cuts beneath a canopy of ferns and rata, the quiet only disturbed by tuis singing and truant schoolkids swimming in one of its shallow pools.

As soon as the Puhinui slips under the Southern Motorway, the dirty stamp of development begins to show. The water is still clean, but traffic cones, tyres and corrugated iron punctuate the stream bed.

The waterway is then piped under the new southwestern motorway twice, and despite pockets of replanted banks, its canopy is mostly stripped away, until it emerges, murky, from between a row of factories.

This is where the stream was monitored by the ARC. The 2010 River Quality report says it regularly exceeds acceptable levels of pollutants — nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc — and one in five of its tests failed to return an acceptable level of health.

This meant a fifth of the time it could not sustain its own ecosystem: fish, invertebrates, birds, and plant life would struggle to survive in it.

An "acceptable" temperature to sustain life in the stream is 21°C. On several tests, the stream had warmed to 24.7°C.

The Puhinui's water, tainted by the waste of the suburbs, sluices into the Manukau Harbour.

Environmental scientist Neil Mitchell, from the University of Auckland, says most Aucklanders do not make the connection between the city's urban streams and its prized harbours.

"If we were to get the streams cleaned up, the harbour would be clean. I wouldn't dream of eating shellfish from the harbours, because I know about all the stuff that goes off the land into the streams."

He reminisces about the time, 30 years ago, when children used to net whitebait at the mouths of the city's urban streams.

"As some Maori say: ‘The ocean starts at the mountaintop’. The water carries all our pollutants, whether it's from the road or your back garden. Water is what links all aspects of the environment."

To illustrate the connectivity of ecosystems, Jenks cites a stream restoration project in the Whaingaroa Harbour in Raglan. In 1994, before the restoration, it took an average of 12 hours to catch a fish in the harbour. After eight years of work on the waterways which flowed into the harbour, that was drastically reduced — to 12 minutes.

There are many priorities for the restoration of the Puhinui — preventing downstream pollution, conserving native species, protecting public health, and improving aesthetic value. But is it salvageable?

Auckland Council research, investigations and monitoring manager Grant Barnes says to raise Puhinui to an "excellent" water standard (like the Cascades in Waitakere) would require bulldozing of the suburbs which crowd its sides.

Barnes says Puhinui suffers from urban stream syndrome. Urbanised areas create lots of hard, impervious surfaces — roofs, playgrounds, carparks — which do not let water feed through the soil and into the waterways. This means the stream is often too warm to support aquatic life, more prone to flooding, and does not have a steady flow to flush out contaminants.

The council is looking to introduce low impact urban design, such as swales — indents to manage runoff and trap contaminants — but the uptake is slow, and retrofitting is costly to the ratepayer.

Barnes says complete conservation is probably unattainable, but mitigation is possible.

Everyone who works on the stream agrees on one crucial factor — community buy-in.

Dr Mitchell says: "The council cannot find the money to fix all these things. People are just not aware of the streams in their backyards. If 1.4 million people took just a little more care, that's a huge effect."

Unitec senior lecturer in landscape architecture Matthew Bradbury says Auckland should aspire to beautifying urban streams as much as its waterfront.

"The waterfront is great if you're rich. But Aucklanders can re-orientate themselves."

He says the first step is building walkways and cycle paths alongside streams, which draws residents' attention to spaces otherwise fenced off, or sliding behind factories.

"This isn't Utopian — it's already in place, in the North Shore, in Waitakere," said Bradbury.

But community involvement can be light on the ground near the Puhinui. Jenks says South Auckland is a hard-working environment where both parents have jobs and don't have much time for conservation.

Therefore Wai Care focuses on recruiting children, hoping they will grow up with green ideals. This has led to some heartening moments — 65 kids from Wiri Central School recently gave up their lunch hour to plant trees by the stream.

"Sixty-five kids! From a hard school. And they worked like hell," says Jenks. "It was beyond heartening. You can never second-guess what kind of interest might be out there. You've got to just dig in and keep doing it."

Amid the council's struggle to improve the stream's water quality, it has had some successes — a network of fish ladders allows native fish to use it as a corridor to their ideal habitat.

In Barnes' words, "There is a surprising amount of life in there. These streams are more than just conduits for waste, if Aucklanders cared to look ..."

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/environment/news/article.cfm?c_id=39&objectid=10728498

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

$100k fix on silt in Judea stream

Bay of Plenty Times | Wednesday, 01 June 2011


Feathers ruffled, a Pukeko flies across
the Kopurererua Stream.

FLOODING PROBLEMS in one of Tauranga's biggest industrial areas are to be fixed by dredging of Kopurererua Stream.

Twenty-two years of siltation since the council took over maintenance of the stream has seen water levels rise until they affected the operation of storm water outlets in the Judea industrial area, particularly those draining parts of Birch Avenue.

And while the problem is not as bad as the flooding in parts of the Mount Maunganui industrial area, the council yesterday decided to spend up to $100,000 dredging the final 300-400m of the stream from the end of Koromiko Street to the estuary.

"If we don't dredge it, it will become a great wetland for whitebait, but not so good for an industrial park," said Councillor Terry Molloy.

Council drainage manager Graeme Dohnt said silt had built up around the hinged metal plates at the ends of several drainage pipes, causing the floodgates to jam and allow water from the storm-swollen stream to run back into Birch Avenue at high tide.

He said the stream was regularly dredged when the area was part of the former Tauranga County Council and later when it came under the catchment board.

"Then we took it over and the river has not been dredged."

The alternative to dredging was to spend $2 million building a pump station.

Commercial premises were flooded during the January 29 storm this year.

Mr Dohnt said the waters only just entered the the front of building around 50 Birch Avenue. The bow wave from vehicles driving through the flooded street accentuated the problem.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/local/news/100k-fix-on-silt-in-judea-stream/3954129


Mayor admires green school project

By CHRIS STEEL - Bay of Plenty Times | Thursday, 02 June 2011


Western Bay Mayor Ross Paterson with Katikati Primary
School Room 22 pupils and their native trees.

A LIVELY Room 22 at Katikati Primary School kept questions firing for Western Bay of Plenty Mayor Ross Paterson during a recent visit.

The mayor was keen to catch up with the work the senior students of Class 22 had achieved last year during their unit on town planning. As part of the unit, they chose the Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Town Centre Plan as inspiration for their special project.

They chose a strip of vacant land beside the Uretara Stream to landscape as a green space featuring native tree species that would also serve to enhance the outlook for the neighbouring residents of Highfields.

The students worked with Amanda Besley from Wild About New Zealand to learn about the challenges of native biodiversity and under the guidance of teacher Emma Stride set to work.

The aim was that the land, included in the council's plan, would support native biodiversity while providing a pleasant area for the townspeople. Special emphasis was on planting native trees that provided year-round food for birds.

The mayor was so impressed with the concept he visited the students to learn more about the project and to encourage them in their environmental work and understanding.

He also explained some of the ways the council works within communities to provide services, parks, roads and other amenities that most people take for granted.

Mr Paterson said it was encouraging to see youngsters taking an interest in town planning from an environmental aspect.

"You never know — one day some of them may be town planners — and look back on this project as something that sowed the seed.

"It has also been great for council to have sparked this interest among the students in the Katikati Town Centre Plan — we welcome their input."

It is hoped primary pupils and Katikati College students will be involved in enhancing the stream and banks to help birds and whitebait prosper.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/local/news/mayor-admires-green-school-project/3954173

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait brioche sandwiches with lime hollandaise

By AMANDA LAIRD - The New Zealand Herald | Wednesday, 08 June 2011


CANAPES: Whitebait brioche sandwiches with lime hollandaise.
 — Photo: Babiche Martens.

WHEN IT comes to entertaining, there's nothing like a few elegant canapes to increase the wow factor. Pop the bubbles darling, and try some of these dainty treats.

Divine whitebait from our shores is delicious and needs to be quickly prepared. The flavour is fantastic and all that is needed is some frothy butter in a pan, whisked egg, salt and pepper, and a few herbs.

Warmed bread wrapped around the fritters is the more low-key way to eat these treats, but because we're out to impress I have re-invented the basic whitebait sammie and turned it into a brioche canape. The fritters are still simple and tasty but small and sandwiched between lightly toasted thin slices of brioche. A spoonful of lime hollandaise and a sprinkle of fresh herbs finishes them off nicely.

Serves 4 people.

Lime Hollandaise Ingredients:

• 200g butter
• 3 Tbs lime juice
• 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
• 2 Tbs water
• 3 egg yolks
• salt and pepper

Whitebait Brioche Sandwiches Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 150g whitebait
• 3 tsp flour
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbs butter
• ½ Tbs olive oil
• thinly sliced brioche
• melted butter
• fresh oregano

Method:

• To make the hollandaise; melt the butter then set aside while combining the lime juice and zest in a saucepan with the water. Simmer until reduced to 1 Tbs of liquid.

• Pour into a small bowl that will fit over a simmering saucepan of water. Whisk in the egg yolks until thick and foamy then add the butter, a little at a time until you have a thick and creamy sauce. Season.

• Preheat the oven to 200°C. Arrange circles of brioche on an oven tray, brush with melted butter and bake until golden — about 5 minutes, then turn over and repeat.

• Whisk the eggs with the whitebait, flour and seasoning. Heat a frypan, add the butter and olive oil then when hot, fry small spoonfuls of the fritter mixture. As soon as they are golden on one side, turn over.

• Serve the whitebait fritters between the slices of toasted brioche. Add a small spoonful of lime hollandaise with a little fresh oregano to garnish.

Chef's tip

Whitebait is available frozen all year round from different countries, but I would recommend holding out for our season. The size and flavour of the tiny fish is spectacular, so even though it can be pricey, it is a treat worth cooking simply and relishing.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10730960

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Whitebait recipe for fundraiser

By KATHRYN KING - Wanganui Chronicle | Monday, 20 June 2011


READY TO COOK: David Barton (left) and
Tim Metcalfe, of Jigsaw Whanganui, with
the whitebait supplies for the cook-off.
 — Photo: Bevan Conley.

THERE ARE those among us who think that whitebait should be cooked with a bare minimum of ingredient — egg, flour, seasoning and a quick pan fry in butter.

And perhaps it will be a classic dish that wins the day. But Jigsaw Whanganui are hoping to try a few different variations on the classic whitebait fritter before crowning the best whitebait cook in town in their Great Whanganui Whitebait Cook-off.

The idea was spawned by Jigsaw Whangaui board chairman David Barton, who held a private whitebait cook-off for friends and family a few years ago.

The evening was such a hit he thought he'd take the idea city-wide as a fundraiser.

Jigsaw Whanganui is a non-profit agency with a frontline team of 16 social workers, counsellors and educators. During the past year, it has worked with more than 450 families throughout Wanganui, Rangitikei and Waimarino, making a difference to the lives of more than 1000 local children.

Less than 40 per cent of the organisation's income comes from the government, so it relies on other funding.

The cook-off will be its major fundraising event for the year.

Sixteen teams of two will have 20 minutes to cook their favourite whitebait recipe.

Their offerings will be judged and scored by a panel of three well-known figures, and one surprise judge.

Entertainer Pio Terei will host the evening.

Mr Barton said the whitebait for the competition would be provided — they had nearly 30kg caught on the West Coast.

Some of the ingredients used in his original cook-off included wasabi, curry and fritters served with a shot of schnapps.

The Edge Beauty Studio's Paula Wade was the winner of that competition. She was the reigning champion to beat, he said.

Tickets to watch the event are $80, which includes wine, a tasting platter of three different whitebait fritters, refreshments and live music from two local bands.

Crowd support would play a role in the judging and teams were welcome to dress up.

Judging criteria would include taste, innovation and presentation.

The winning duo would win a day at Ruth Pretty's cooking school for four people in Te Horo.

Depending on the success of the event, they were looking at making the cook-off annual, but not necessarily using whitebait.

Mr Barton said the cook-off was the start of a new push to raise their profile, because they really needed community support. Demand for Jigsaw's services had not decreased.

• Registration for teams of two are open now.

• Registration packs have been sent to local businesses and are available at: JigsawWhanganui.org.nz.

• Registration is $180 a team.

• Tickets to attended the evening will go on sale in July, and the event will take place August 20, from 7pm.

http://www.wanganuichronicle.co.nz/local/news/whitebait-recipe-for-fundraiser/3956386


Locals volunteer to help with whitebait protection

By CAITLIN NOBES - Hawke's Bay Today | Monday, 20 June 2011

WHITEBAIT spawning sites found in the Wairoa region are a good sign for the future and will be protected by local landowners.

A recent Department of Conservation (DoC) survey of potential whitebait spawning sites aimed to protect whitebait (inanga, in Maori) numbers.

Wairoa DoC officer Helen Jonas had calls from as far away as Napier when she asked whitebaiters to share their local knowledge of spawning sites.

It was two local landowners who were making changes to protect the sites, she said.

One landowner had agreed to an electric wire running along a 200m section of stream bank, which would keep bulls from trampling the newly discovered spawning site.

Another local farmer, by the Awatere Stream, has taken it a step further; 300m of permanent fencing will be installed to protect the habitat.

Both options were of tremendous benefit to the fishery, Ms Jonas said.

Keeping stock off the extremely vulnerable areas, to protect spawning habitat, was critical.

Whitebait need specific conditions to spawn, including the right level of salinity, and spawning often happens in less than 300m of a river system.

DoC officers found a good level of spawning activity; however, a major flood occurred straight after spawning and only time would tell what the whitebait season would be like when it started on August 15, Ms Jonas said.

Ms Jonas is interested to hear from anyone with local knowledge of spawning sites.

http://www.hawkesbaytoday.co.nz/local/news/locals-volunteer-to-help-with-whitebait-protection/3956476

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Cool farms run with whitebait

By SHAAN TE KANI - The Gisborne Herald | Wednesday, 22 June 2011


LEFT: Whitebait spawning sites — Hans Rook (DoC officer) searching for whitebait eggs.
RIGHT: Whitebait eggs glistening like tiny pearls everywhere in the streambank grass.
 — Photos: Department of Conservation.

WAIROA FARMERS are helping to protect potential whitebait spawning sites in the Wairoa region.

Farmers are assisting the Department of Conservation as part of a survey of potential spawning sites. Wairoa DoC officer Helen Jonas said this was proving a great success and boded well for the future.

DoC put the call out to white baiters recently to share their knowledge of local spawning sites and two landowners who farm along the Wairoa River “came up trumps”, she said.

One of the landowners farms beside the Huramua Stream and has agreed to an electric wire running along a 200-metre section of stream bank.

“This will effectively keep the bulls from trampling the newly discovered spawning site,” Ms Jonas said.

Another landowner, who farms beside the Awatere Stream, has taken it a step further.

“He has agreed to a permanent 300m fence that will protect this susceptible habitat,” she said.

Keeping stock off the extremely vulnerable areas by protecting spawning habitat is critical.

“Both these options are of tremendous benefit to the fishery.”

Ms Jonas said whitebait have exacting requirements and salinity has to be just right.

Spawning is often in less than 300 metres of an entire river system.

She saw a good level of spawning activity during the survey but said “nature was always the boss”.

A major flood occurred straight after spawning and only time will tell what the whitebait season will be like when it starts on August 15.

The best time to search for spawning is in April and May when the bulk of the fish are active.

Ms Jonas plans to continue searching over the year and will continue to use a conductivity meter borrowed from the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council.

The meter measures the ‘salt water wedge’ or brackish water which is prime spawning habitat.

She is always keen to hear from anyone with local knowledge of spawning sites.

“Protecting spawning sites is simply an investment in the future.

“It by no means gives away knowledge of just where the ultimate whitebait fritter will come from next.”

http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=23353

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

24,000 litres of oil spilt into Awakino River

Taranaki Daily News | Wednesday, 22 June 2011


SPILL: The tanker tipped on its side near the northern end of
the Awakino Gorge. — ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News.

A TANKER carrying 24,000 litres of waste oil has crashed in a treacherous King Country gorge and spilt its load into the Awakino River.

Waikato Regional Council staff are at the scene tonight but are unable to gauge the extent of the spill.

The tanker tipped on its side near the northern end of the Awakino Gorge on State Highway 3 about 3.30pm today.

The driver suffered head injuries.

Traffic through the gorge  was reduced to one lane and was further complicated by a slip 400 metres south of the spill.

The highway was closed for an hour from 7.20pm as a crane loaded the crippled tanker on to a transporter.

Waikato Regional Council spokesman David Stagg was measuring his words tonight about the extent of the spill, but said the waste oil would damage the river's ecosystem.

"Waste oil in the river will not be any good for it and will cause some degree of harm," he said.

"Unfortunately in the gorge area, because of the swift nature of the river, there's no opportunity to contain it."

The Awakino is a popular and productive whitebait river, though the season does not start until September.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5179732/24-000-litres-of-oil-spilt-into-Awakino-River


Pollution fears after crash

By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News | Thursday, 23 June 2011


POLLUTION: A tanker carrying waste oil rolled in the Awakino Gorge, spilling thousands of litres
of oil into the Awakino River. — ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News.

EFFORTS to contain a major oil spill in the Awakino River were hitting full steam by midday today.

The spill occurred after a tanker overturned in the treacherous Awakino Gorge yesterday afternoon, leaking 20,000 litres of oil into the river.

A Maritime New Zealand rapid deployment boom was extended halfway across the river, at the boat ramp near the river mouth, to capture the oil slick as it made its way downstream.

Transpacific Industrial Solutions trucks were sucking the trapped oil off the top of the water to be transported away.

Specialist teams from the Department of Conservation (DOC) and Massey University were at the scene to assess what effect the spill would have on the environment and wildlife.

Environmental officials held fears for the river's wildlife.

However, the Waikato Regional Council said the spill seemed to have had little effect on the environment.

Group manager Chris McLay said an inspection by council and DOC staff had indicated a very limited environmental impact near the river mouth and the nearby coast.

"Hopefully this is a sign that most of the oil has been flushed out to sea and hasn't caused any major impacts on wildlife," Mr McLay said.

"However, we plan to continue to monitor the coast in the short term in case oil is washed back on to the shoreline."

DOC and Massey University staff planned to carry out a more detailed assessment of the spill's impact on wildlife, he said.

People were being asked to stay away from the river while staff worked to manage the situation.

"We'd also advise people to stay away from the oil if they come across any on land. If they discover distressed animal or bird life they should advise the Department of Conservation," Mr McLay said.

"Waste oil in the river will not be any good for it and will cause some degree of harm," Waikato Regional Council resource use programme manager David Stagg said.

Stagg was unsure what type of waste oil the truck was carrying when it crashed.

As for whitebait, he was more hopeful.

The fish spawned between March and May and hopefully hatched and headed out to sea in early June, he said.

"We're hopeful that the vast majority of the whitebait would have already headed out to sea ... so there's a bit of note of optimism there."

Firefighters described an oily film on the river about 1km shortly after the spill.

The Department of Conservation's Maniapoto area manager, Ray Scrimgeour, was also hopeful whitebait had escaped, but was concerned about other marine life that fed in the estuary.

He said he was hopeful of a quick clean-up to the lessen the impact.

Mokau and Awakino locals were still digesting the news when contacted this morning.

Jenny Marsden of the Whitebait Inn, Mokau, said no pollution was any good and was hopeful it could flush itself out.

Craig Morrison of the Awakino Hotel was worried what sort of oil it was and the effect of the rest of the river life.

"It's going to be down the river and out to sea by now. It's probably already along the coast. It's not good."

Morrison said locals were doubtful of a bumper whitebait season this year anyway after three or four bad seasons in a row.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/5180223/Pollution-fears-after-crash


All hands to pump for cleanup

By LEIGHTON KEITH - Taranaki Daily News | Friday, 24 June 2011


DAMAGE CONTROL: Adam Bubbins, of Transpacific Industrial Solutions, uses a vacuum hose
to suck the spilt oil. — ANDY JACKSON/Taranaki Daily News.

AWAKINO RESIDENTS woke yesterday to find a toxic black oil slick making its way down the river.

The slick was left after a truck carrying 24,000 litres of waste rolled in the hazardous Awakino Gorge on Wednesday and spilt its cargo.

Warning signs were still up at the site where the truck rolled, while puddles of oil sat in the gutter and the smell of oil tainted the air. The oil had stained vegetation along the river's banks.

Stevie Cross, of the Awakino Hotel, said the first thing that hit her was the stench.

"We could smell it as soon as we arrived at work," she said.

"It was a shock walking down and seeing the river. I was just shocked because you are so used to seeing your river and now it's all shiny and black."

The community was concerned about the effect the spill would have on the environment.

"As you do — we love our little community," Miss Cross said.

"It is a bit scary, how is it going to affect the whitebait, because it goes off out here during the whitebaiting season."

Daniel Stewart was not sure how the spill would affect the wildlife and environment.

"These fellas are cleaning it up, I guess we will see how it goes," Mr Stewart said.

Sarah Lewis was shocked when she read about the spill.

"Look at all of the shiny stuff in the river, it is horrible," she said.

Waikato Regional Council and Department of Conservation staff, along with Massey University wildlife experts, were at the scene yesterday.

Although most of the oil was believed to have been flushed out to sea overnight, a floating boom was used to trap the remaining slick at the Awakino boat ramp so it could be sucked up by Transpacific Industrial Solutions' vacuum trucks.

WRC group manager Chris McLay said an inspection by council and DOC staff found the spill had not had a major effect on the environment near the river mouth or nearby coastline.

"Hopefully this is a sign that most of the oil has been flushed out to sea and hasn't caused any major impacts on wildlife," Mr McLay said.

"However, we plan to continue to monitor the coast in the short term in case oil is washed back on to the shoreline."

However, there was oil contamination in riverside vegetation stretching at least three kilometres upstream, he said.

DOC officers and staff from Massey University planned to carry out a more detailed environmental assessment of the spill's impact on wildlife.

"There is some concern that birds living in riverside reeds may have been harmed. If any animals or birds need particular care, arrangements are in place to evacuate them to Palmerston North," Mr McLay said.

Transpacific Industrial Solutions managing director Tom Nickels said the truck was carrying lubricant oil from cars, trucks and boats when it rolled.

"It is potentially an issue for the environment but our information is not complete yet. Early indications are the environmental impact won't be too bad," Mr Nickels said.

The company had six vacuum trucks on site and the oil recovered from the river would be taken to the company's main processing plant in Mt Maunganui. Mr Nickels said the company was taking the incident very seriously.

The oil extraction would continue overnight and the situation would be assessed again today.

"Agencies have worked really well together to respond to this spill. We are hopeful that environmental impacts will be limited. But we want to make sure we carry out a thorough analysis tomorrow to ensure we make the right decisions about the future management of this incident," Mr McLay said.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/5186379/All-hands-to-pump-for-cleanup

[Kiwithrottlejockey]

Planting streams for Matariki

Whangarei Leader | Tuesday, 28 June 2011


HARD YAKKA: Some of the 250 students and staff from Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Rawhitiroa
planting trees along stream banks in Tikipunga and Kamo.

HARD and muddy work this Matariki has resulted in more than 1000 native plants being planted along streams in Tikipunga and Kamo.

Te Kura Kaupapa o Te Rawhitiroa's 250 students and staff along with parents and other members of the community planted over 700 plants along the Waitaua River in Tikipunga during the week of June 06.

The week before over 200 plants went into the ground at Kamo's Hodges Park thanks to students from Hurupaki Primary School.

Another day at the Otangarei rugby grounds took place last week where another 300 plants were planted.

These planting days have been the result of a vision of revegetating stream banks along the Waitaua catchment.

Years of growing and planting at Tikipunga Sports Domain led by Te Rawhitiroa has grown into wider plans to give streams in Kamo, Tikipunga and Otangarei a makeover.


STREAM RECOVERY: Whaea Anna Henare and year 9
student Louis Paul plant a flax bush —  one of
hundreds of planted during Matariki.

The Waitaua Catchment Restoration Project is spearheaded by Kim Jones and Nicki Wakefield of the Whitebait Connection and involves planting native plants from the He Kakano community nursery. Organisations like Whangarei District Council, Northland Regional Council, Alter-Natives, Forest Floor Nurseries and Kauri Park Nurseries have supported the project.

"Life in the streams such as kewai (freshwater crayfish), tuna (eels) and even whitebait will be thanking us for helping restore their habitat," project co-ordinator Nicki Wakefield says.

"This project also helps the life downstream in our harbour," co-ordinator Kim Jones says. "A lot of sediment washes into our harbour as runoff every winter as a result of unplanted riparian zones."

"This sediment is causing our harbour to infill at an unnatural rate and changing the habitat. This has flow-on effects such as causing mangroves to spread faster than they would naturally.

"A lot of other things flow down our streams and into our harbour via stormwater drains too. Things such as oil, cigarette butts and rubbish, so this is also a focus of our programme – to raise awareness of this drains-to-harbour connection and encourage others to take action for our waterways by being responsible for their waste and how they manage their local environment," Mrs Jones says.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/northland/whangarei-leader/5197268/Planting-streams-for-Matariki