A man at the Tukituki River on Friday morning as the whitebait season opened. Photo / Warren Buckland
A man at the Tukituki River on Friday morning as the whitebait season opened. Photo / Warren Buckland
Whitebaiters across Hawke’s Bay were largely absent from their usual haunts on the first day of the season, adhering to rāhui over much of the region.
Department of Conservation (DoC) staff monitored Hawke’s Bay water bodies covered by two rāhui on Friday morning.
A rāhui [restriction] placed on a large chunk of the Hawke’s Bay region after Cyclone Gabrielle by Mana Ahuriri remained in place for the whitebait season, while the hapū and marae of Heretaunga Tamatea Settlement Trust also placed rāhui in their rohe.
The rāhui also extends to Te Waiohingānga/the Esk River, with the support of Ngāti Matepū and Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, which also represents the tangata whenua hapū of that area including Ngāti Marangatūhetaua (Ngāti Tū) and Ngāi Te Ruruku.
There are no legal consequences for not following rāhui, but DoCoperations manager Hawke’s Bay Tryphena Cracknell asked whitebaiters to respect them in an earlier statement.
“Following the rāhui is a matter of a person’s own personal values and integrity. We are asking people to respect the rāhui and allow the local whitebait population to recover after the impact of the storm,” Cracknell said earlier.
Abhijeetkumar Manikantan, Napier DoC biodiversity ranger, said rangers spotted only two people whitebaiting on Clive River, but no one was located elsewhere on the first tide of the season’s traditional opening day.
“In previous seasons it would have been very unusual to see no whitebaiters on Tukituki River, for example, on day one, so it appears that people are respecting the rāhui and we are very grateful for this,” Manikantan said.
“Where we did find people whitebaiting, our rangers reminded people of the rāhui, and that it is a matter of personal integrity and respect. We will still enforce Whitebait Fishing Regulations 2021.”
Napier DoC Biodiversity Ranger, Abhijeetkumar Manikantan checks the Tukituki River for fishermen. Photo / Warren Buckland
DoC freshwater species manager Emily Funnell said in a statement that it was important for whitebaiters to keep themselves safe, particularly at the margins of the sea and rivers.
“Whitebaiters using waders should wear belts, and they should consider wearing lifejackets if around deep or turbulent waters,” Funnell said.
“They should also let people know where they are going and when they should be home again.”
Whitebaiters at the mouth of the Tukituki River near the start of the 2021 season. Photo / NZME
The season runs from September 1 to October 30.
* This story has been updated after a clarification by DOC on September 6. The clarification is:
DOC has supported Mana Ahuriri Trust and Heretaunga-Tamatea Settlement Trust with public notification of a rāhui in Hawke’s Bay.
The rāhui also extends to Te Waiohingānga/the Esk River, with the support of Ngāti Matepū and Maungaharuru-Tangitū Trust, which also represents the tangata whenua hapū of that area including Ngāti Marangatūhetaua (Ngāti Tū) and Ngāi Te Ruruku.
The rāhui places a restriction on whitebaiting in a defined area of the region and was announced on 8 August.
This decision is based on the need to recover the environment after Cyclone Gabrielle, and to maintain and enhance a sustainable fishery amidst the significant sediment and environmental disruption to spawning.
DOC regrets the error and apologises for any confusion it has caused.
