Editorial: New Zealand whitebait a delicacy worth saving

It would be a sad loss if whitebait vanished.

New Zealand whitebait are one of the few dining pleasures to escape the culinary assault of reality chefs. As kai moana, they are up there with Bluff oysters, Kaikoura crayfish, Golden Bay scallops, Cook Strait hapuka, East Coast paua, and fresh Gulf snapper.

Quickly fired in a buttered pan with nothing but egg and salt to hold the silvery fish together, then slapped between two slices of - preferably - white bread, whitebait patties taste the same today as they did 50 years ago.

Back then, so much was caught that surplus stock was dug into West Coast gardens as compost. But then few people owned freezers, so the day's haul had to be consumed.

Catches have fallen during the brief open season to the point where survival of three out of five whitebait species is threatened, possibly driven by prices in excess of $100 a kg. Unlike other fisheries, quotas do not apply to the taking of whitebait.

Scientists say they lack reliable information about stocks, and believe licences could help get a handle on the fishery. A licence would grant rights to fish in certain areas at specified times, and help build a reliable picture of the state of the fishery.

Would they work? Whitebait knowledge is held tightly. As one fisheries scientist observed, whitebaiters have notoriously short and fluid memories. They will say they had a lousy season, when they actually caught bucketloads of the tiny treasures and offloaded surplus stocks.

It would be a sad loss if whitebait vanished. Clearly we need better data about the state of the fishery. If licences are needed to ensure the survival of the species - and the pleasure of a tiny pattie - then give them try.