It‘s hard to believe that common native species like whitebait could go extinct. Especially when they seem to be so numerous species and whitebaiters are catching them by the bucket-load every spring all across New Zealand. But the whitebait catch isn’t just made up of of one species, it actually includes five – giant kōkopu, […]

Whitebait season is again upon us, and many are wondering if it will be a bumper year or a fizzer. The size of the catch depends on a mysterious combination of the weather now, the weather a few months ago, ocean currents, and the lure of supply and demand. Even a hundred years ago, there was huge […]

The future of New Zealand’s endemic longfin eel is in serious jeopardy. In April 2013, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment stated in no uncertain terms that: “It is critical that we stop fishing longfin eels. It is not just fishing that is the problem, but stopping it is the only action that has immediate […]