The Department of Conservation (DOC) is asking whitebaiters to share their catch diaries and help contribute to a better understanding of the national whitebait fishery.
Catch diaries may include the amount of whitebait caught, weather conditions, river state, fishing gear used, and other factors impacting on whitebait catch.
DOC Freshwater Species Manager, Emily Funnell says any whitebait catch diary is an important contribution, no matter its condition.
“All data is useful, whether you’ve been whitebaiting for a short time or for decades. Even if you aren’t a whitebaiter, check the family archives as they can be passed down the generations,” she said.
“Catch diaries are excellent sources of information about the past and present state of the whitebait fishery. The more data about the whitebait catch we have, the better we can understand and protect the fishery and its species into the future.
“Privacy is paramount, so information in the diaries will be kept completely anonymous and combined with data from other whitebaiters’ diaries.”
If you’d like to share your whitebait catch diaries, or would like more information about this research, email whitebait@doc.govt.nz by the end of February 2025. The research results are expected later in 2025.
