West coast
6 Things you didn't know about Whitebait
Whitebait season has arrived on the West Coast, here are a few things you may not know about this little creature and the season itself:

Whitebait season has arrived on the West Coast, here are a few things you may not know about this little creature and the season itself:
- Whitebait is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, they’re quite tiny.
- There are strict regulations in place for when you can actually fish for Whitebait in New Zealand, which is why it’s called Whitebait season.
- Whitebait is edible and considered a delicacy (especially here on the West Coast). The entire fish is eaten.
- Whitebait season on the West Coast runs from September to November each year. Fishing for Whitebait is done with nets in the lower parts of the river.
- The traditional way of cooking whitebait is to make a whitebait fritter, which is basically an omelette containing the fish. You then serve this on a piece of bread with a drizzle of lemon juice.
- During the season (October) we host Whitebait Festivals. There is the Haast Whitebait Festival and the Westport Whitebait Festival.