Debate continues on whitebait sock nets
The 'anti-sock' protest banner near the Waitapu Bridge on Monday 21 Sept.
This large banner protesting against the “Southland Sock” was erected in trees near the Waitapu Bridge sometime last Sunday.
The sock is an effective way of catching whitebait, especially since it is used in conjunction with a trap that prevents whitebait from escaping once they have been caught.
Whitebaiters are divided over the use of the sock. It enables the whitebaiter to sit and even sleep while fishing for the delicacy, while people who use traditional methods say they are required to work harder, tending their nets and scooping any catch into containers to prevent the fish from getting away.
Last week The GB Weekly held a poll on the whitebait regulations, inviting comments on the way whitebait are allowed to be caught, among other things. The poll attracted 18 votes, 14 of which supported a review of the whitebaiting regulations.
The protest banner was partially destroyed on Monday night and the debate continues. Neil Wilson
