The public seems ready for changes to whitebait regulations, with a Department of Conservation survey finding 90 percent support.
The regulations will remain unchanged for the 2019 whitebait season, which starts on the West Coast on 1 September and elsewhere in New Zealand on 15 August, but the department is working on proposals for Government to consider.
DOC Biodiversity deputy director-general Martin Kessick says the level of engagement at a recent series of public meeting and hui reflects the wide public interest in whitebait management.
Major issues identified through the engagement process included loss and degradation of whitebait habitat, water pollution, blocked fish passage, a fragmented management regime and that whitebait fishing regulations, and enforcement of regulations and rules to protect habitat were inadequate.
The summary of feedback from public engagement, FAQs and information on the consultation process are available on DOC’s website: www.doc.govt.nz/whitebait-management.
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