Whitebaiter blames 'chick scientists' for Government proposals

Sunday, 23 February 2020

Fish and Game councillor Ken Cochrane speaks to Southland whitebaiters at a meeting at Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill about the Government's proposed whitebait changes.

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A Fish and Game councillor believes court action should be investigated if proposals - influenced by 'chick scientists' who think whitebaiters should hold hands and sing kumbaya - are in fact passed.

The Department of Conservation has put together an Improving Whitebait Management discussion document which proposes changes to whitebaiting in New Zealand.

It includes shortening the whitebait season, prohibiting fishing from some rivers for a set period of time, and phasing out fishing equipment including sock nets, trap nets and screens.

The Southland Recreational Whitebaiters Association held a meeting in Invercargill on Sunday to outline the submission it planned to put forward.

Southland whitebaiters at a meeting at Ascot Park Hotel in Invercargill on Sunday about the Government's proposed whitebaiting changes.

* Whitebait proposal could place temporary bans on Southland rivers

* Whitebaiters express reservations about proposed rule changes**

Southland Fish and Game councillor Ken Cochrane, who is also a keen whitebaiter, shared his thoughts on the document and the approach the whitebaiters should take.

The discussion document has suggested the native fish, whitebait, is on the decline which has prompted the proposal for changes.

Adult populations of four of the six species of fish that make up whitebait fishery are threatened or at risk of extinction, the document says.

The Department of Conservation [DOC] is responsible for making sure there is healthy populations of whitebait and that whitebait fishing is sustainable.

Southland whitebaiters check their nets on the lower Mataura River during the 2018 season.

Cochrane does not feel DOC has ever shown whitebaiters a lot of love and believed that shone through during his time on a whitebait working party.

'There was a process….when I sat there one day and I thought; 'what I'm listening to is a whole bunch of chick scientists' - and if you really looked at the view that they were pitching - [it] was everybody in New Zealand should not shave their armpits, they should wear dreadlocks, and when they go whitebaiting they should do it in jandals only. And after they catch one patty for tea they should sit down hold hands and sing kumbaya. That was the feeling I got.'

He was unsure how much weight the submission process would hold, but Cochrane added that it would not be the end of the road, in regard to whitebaiters challenging the Government's proposals.

Cochrane suggested asking for a judicial review through the High Court, if they ended up with a set of regulations which they were not happy with.

'The process is not over, it does not make us feel any better that we've been victimised, ripped off, and not listened to, but I want you to take heart that it isn't over. There are further opportunities.'

Cochrane urged the Southland Recreational Whitebaiters Association members to make a submission that was based on having a license to fish for whitebait and which also asked for a regional rules concept to be implemented.

Those were the two biggest components that would allow an opportunity for a judicial review, Cochrane said.

He believed the cost of a judicial review would be about $150,000, but he added if that cost was spread across 7000 whitebaiters in New Zealand it could be manageable.

Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage said whitebait is a cherished part of Kiwi culture and she wanted to see whitebait numbers flourish, while maintaining a healthy fishery long-term.

March 2 was initially set as the deadline for submissions, however Sage announced on Sunday it had be extended to March 16.

They had received 2000 submissions to date, Sage said.