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Story: Estuaries

Whitebaiting, Waikanae

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Whitebaiting, Waikanae

Using nets, fishermen try to catch the tiny and elusive delicacy whitebait (īnanga), which are migrating from the sea to fresh water. In spring, whitebait swim into estuaries, sometimes in shoals, but often as solitary animals. Those that manage to avoid the whitebaiters’ nets swim upstream to feed and grow to adulthood.

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Estuaries – Larger animals of the estuary, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4637/whitebaiting-waikanae (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 2 March 2009.