What's in That Whitebait Net?

Bv R.M. McDowall

Fisheries Research Division lnformation Leaflet No- 3

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) Published by the New Zealand Marine Department, Wellington.

Copies are obtainable from the Editor, at the same address.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) WHAT'S ¡N THAT WHITEBAIT NET?

Over the years there has been ol the year and in different types of great controversy about the identity rivers. but all five are found ol whitebait, about where they come throughout New Zealand. lrom and what they srow into. The commonest whitebait grows Vhitebait fishermen hÑe varying into the inan-qa, Galaxias maculatus, opinions on the number ol' different u smlll lìsh ctlmmon in estuarics. types ol whitebait from one to swamps, and rivers near the sea. many types are recognised - and The adult, or inanga, is usually only the problem is compounded by the 3 to 4 in. long. though sonlctinìes it appearance ol other whitebait-like is as long as 6 in. It is a slender fìsh fìshes in the catches during spring. without scales (none ol the whitebait Some ol the questions that fìsh- adults have scales). silvery on the ermen are asking about the identity belly and greenish on the back. of their catches are discussed in this The whitebait oi this species lea flet. makes up nearly the whole catch in many rivers. especially warmer riv- What Whitebait? are ers draining coastal hills, for ex- Whitebait are juveniles ol some of ample, the Waita or Maori River. our lreshwater fìshes. They have However, it is accompanied by sev- spent the winter in the sea since eral of the other species in colder hatching lrom eggs in the previous rivers, particularly those rivers fed autumn. so they are abou[ 6 months by glaciers, such as the Haast or old when they run into the rivers. Arawata Rivers. The whitebait ol When they hatch irom the eggs they Galaxias maculatus is one oi the are about I l3 in. long, and they largest whitebait, up to 2 or even grown have to about 2 in. during 2 /: iì. long. It is also the most winter. Littìe is known about their transparent whitebait, having the lile in the sea, but they have been glassy-green colour most favoured iound in the surlace waters manv by whitebait buyers. miles off shore. The second mrlst common white- What do Whitebait Grow into? bait is the young ol a fish known to This is a question that has been science as Galar,ias brevipinnis, and argued vehemently lor a long time. usually called naLive mountuin trr,¡ut Studies have shown conclusively by fishermen and others iamiliar that they grow into five different with it. The adult is a secretive fish species of fìsh belonging to the genus lounð in swiftly flowing rocky Galaxias. So there are five different streams still enclosed by native lor- sorts of whitebait. These occur in est and is a larg,:r fish than the in- varying numbers at different times anga, reaching arlout 8 in. or more.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) Galaxias maculatus inanga. a: Adult. b: Whitebait. - It is elon-sirte. of'alnrost eel-like pro- cars" anlong sonle fìshernren. portions. with thick leathery' hns. a A less common whitebait is the ruLther l'lattened head, and a receding young ol Galaxia.s lhe jirw. t0 fascictlus, lor,rer lt is olive-g.reen h¿rnded kokopu, which is sometimes brown, rvith greenish gold speckling cal led native trout or Maori trout. It or blotch ing on the sides. is common in small, quiet, rocky The w hitehirit of' this species is streams in the lorest and may be com monest in the snow-fed rivers, lound also in lorest swamps. lt is a like the Haast or Arawata. where it stout and thick-bodied fìsh, rvith a may make up as much as hall the conspicuous nrouth and thick, [ìeshy catch. This whitebait is also large, hns, and re¿rches a length ol about reaching about 2 in. long, but it has l0 in. It is usually a dull bluish grey, a nriìky appearance even when with pale vertical bands along the t'reshly caught. The fìns just behind body, f'rom behind the head to the the head, the pectorul fìns, are pro- t¿il in snlall fìshes, but only on the nrinent, sticking out lrom the head rear hall of the body in very large and provoking the nanre "clephant o nes.

b/ q-_¿*<,1:fì---¡,----<-t-l-

Galaxias brevípinnís - native mountain trout. a: Adult. b: Whitebait.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) The whitebait ol Galarias fas- toral fìns are held out lronr the oody ciatus is the snrallest of'the white- and so ¿rppear prontittettt. bait ol'ten I r/: to l)+ in. long Another, rarer whitebait is the and is slender. Though it is trans- juvenile ol Galarias postveclis, ako- parent, it ol-ten has a plrle anlber kopu-like fìsh that is rare and has lro colour which is sonle\\ hat distinctive common nanre. When it is flound, and which gir,'es rise to the nalle the adult is anrong rocks, boulders, "-qolden hait." Like those ol the Ga- and logs in snrall streanls in the i'or- la.tias brevipirnrs u'hitebuit. the pec- est. It grows to about l0 in. and is a

Galaxias postvectis. a: Adult. b: Whitebait.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) stout fìsh, u'ith a rounded body, and large, stout, heavill' built fish is in tapering slender snout. The lo',ver fact an adult whitebait It is usuallv jaw is distinctly' shorter than the up- a dark- to buff-brown colour, and per and the fins are thick and fleshy. the body'is liberally covered with 'l hrs fish is usually a dark blue-grey fìne gold spots, rings, crescents, and to grey-brown and rather unilorm in lines. The whitebait stage is about colour, thou-sh there may be a laint lr,á in. long and is stout. nrarbling pattern on the sides oi the The giant kokopu seems to be body caught only toward the end ol the The whitebait ol Galar¡as po.tt- hshing seuson. usually appearing in vectis is al most identical in size and very small numbers some time dur- appearance to that ol Galaxias ing the first l0 to l5 days ol Novem- brevipinnis, but it is probably so ber. It, too, has prominent pectoral rare as to be unimportant in the fìns and. like the whitebait ol Ga- catch. laxias fascial¿l.ç, has a stight amber The fiith species ol u'hitebait is eolour, but, like Galaxias postvectis, also rare and is the juvenile ol Ga- it is so rare that it is unimportant in laxias argenteus oÍ giant kokopu. the commercial whitebait catch. again commonly known as Maori trout or native trout. The adults live Gutty Whitebait in small swampy streams, swamps, Gutt), whitebait fish so called and lakes near the coast. It is much because the gut has become filled the largest species, growing up to 2 with lood and because dark grey- It long, though commonl) only l0 to brow'n coloration has del'eloped on l5 in. lon-s. People, understandably, the head and trunk are whitebait often find it hard to believe that this that have spent a few days or more

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) Gobiomorphus huttoni red-finned bully. a: Adult. b: Juvenile. c: Juvenife oi Philypnodon- hubbsi. in the rivers leeding and growing. Whitebait fishermen olten catch Gutty whitebait ol all the fìve white- what look like very tiny whitebait, bait species are caught bY white- about an inch long. Sometimes they baiters, especially late in the season. are so abundant that they are a pest. Obviously they are not another type These are juvenile bullies coming up oi whitebait, but, rather, a later stream out of the sea. stage in their growth to maturitY. The red-finned bully, Gobio- Other Fishes Caught with morphus huttoni, which lives in Whitebait tumbling rocky streams, and the The five species described above common bully, Gobiomorphus ba- are the true whitebait of the com- sal¡s, which lives in more gently mercial frshery, but they are by no flowing streams and often on gravel means the only fish caught by white- or sandy bottoms, have similar juve- baiters. Notes on the other fishes niles. They are transparent, but known to have been caught in white- sometimes have a lew dark blotches bait nets are given below. on the head and trunk.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) gobioides giant bully. Adult. Gobiomorphus -

The third species is the young of' Another bully, caught only as an the blue-gilled bully, Phil.t'pnodon adult b1'some whitebaiters, is the hubbsi, which lives in lhe very swif- so-called giant bully or Gobio- test water ol river rapids. lts juve- nrorphtts gobioides. This is a large. nile may have a series ol V-shaped stout, rather groper-like fìsh which bands across the trunk, giving a dis- may be 6 or 7 in. long. Usually it is tinctive herring-bone pattern. Its dark grey-black. lower jaw projects forward beyond Glass eels, the young ol the long- the upper jaw, which clearly dis- fìnned eel, A nguilla die.ffenbachi i, tinguishes it fron the red-lìnned bul- and the short-lìnned eel, Anguilla ly and the comnron bull;'. australi.s, olten migrate at the same These fìsh are known [o sonle time as whitebait and so are caught wh itebaiters as "spawn", " Dan by whitebait fìshernten. Like the Doolin spawn", or "whale feed". whitcbait, Lhe glass eels have spent The adults ol these three species, their early liie in the sea and are mi- which may be 3 or 4 in. long, are grating up rivers to begin their long also sometimes caught by whitebait lreshwater liie. When they conte out fìs hernren. ol the sea they are transparent, but

b

eel. a: Adult. b: Glass eel. Anguilta australis - short-finned

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) Retropinna retropinna - common coastal smelt. Adult. soon become a dusky grey-brown and a year older. At this stage they like the larger adults. are mature adults, not juveniles like "Silveries", "cucumbers", or the whitebait. and they are entering snrelt are another tìsh that white- the rivers to spawn. Though they baiters catch, olteri in large num- have a strong and unpleasant cu- bers. They enter the river mouths in cumber-like odour, they are good big shoals. I n some North Island eating once boiling water has been rivers they migrate when about a poured over them. They look rather year old at a length ol about 2 to 2t/2 in. and look rather like stout white- like slender trout, with large scales bait. I n most rivers they come in which dislodge very easily, and are a when they are about 3 to 4 in. long bright silvery colour.

Rhombosolea retiaría black or river flounder- Adult. -

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) There are two species, one lound which certainly leed on whitebait, only on the east coast ol the South the muilet leeds mostll' on detritus Island Stokell's smelt, StokellÌa --rotting organic matter on the anisodon and one iound through- bottom and on seaweeds. The out New Zealand the common n,hitebait- are probably taken in- smelt, Re¡ropinna retropinna. The cidentally by the mullet in whitebait whitebait caught in Te Whanga La- t ra ps. goon, Chatham Islands, and in the Two peculiar fìshes are very occa- Waikato Rìver, is mostly the com- sionally caught in whitebait nets. mon smelt. The lamprey, Geotria australis, mi- Srates into fresh water to spawn in Several larger fishes are also spring and is an elongate eel-like caught by whitebaiters, in ones and fish, but it has no pectoral and pel- twos. The well-known, introduced vic fins and no jaws. only a circular brown lroul, Salmo tuila, is a com- mouth rather like a suction cup. mon occupant of whitebait nets, as When it first leaves tl"e sea it is a is the lreshwater or black flounder, handsome silvery fish with a deep Rhombosolea retiaria. The yellow- blue band along the back, but alter eyed mullet (or so-called herring), a while in fresh water it becomes a Aldrichetta forsterÌ . runs into rii'er dull grey. It is reputedly very good estuaries on the risin-s tide and is oi- to eat. ten caught in whitebait nets. The The torrent ñsh or shark bully, yellow-eyed mullet olten has white- Cheimarrichthys fosteri, is a rather bait in its mouth when removed bully-like fish with a tapering flat- from whitebait nets. But unlike tened head and a small mouth trout, eels, and black flounders. placed beneath the head to give it a

Cheimarrichthys fosterí torrent fish. - Adult.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) rather shark-like appearance. It to time in their whitebait nets. Some looks very like a _ureyish coloured ol them are good as lood; all of blue cod. It grows to about 6 or 7 in. them have interesting habits that long and lives in the very slviltest ru- nlake them worth studying. Much pids ol gravelly rivers. remains to be learnt about all these These fìshcs. all of'thenl native fìshes, but whlt inl'ornlrrion cxists except the brown trout, are the fìsh- can be obtained lrom the Fisheries es that whitebaiters catch lrom time Research Division.

Information about the regulations goveming white- bait fìshing may be obtained from the head óffice of the Ministry of Agricultu¡e and Fisheries, P.O. Box 229 8, W elhngton, or from district o ffices o f the Ministry.

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972) Originally publìshed in I9'l2,reprirted unchanged in 1979

E. C. Keating, Government P¡inter Wellington, New Zealand- I 979

29107E-80oBks14l79 M

Fisheries Research Division information leaflet no. 3 (1972)