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Raw Fish - May 2008

The Whitebait Debate

May 4th 2008 06:13
Whitebait
Whitebait is a collective term used throughout the world to describe small fishes that are collected en masse and eaten whole. Many species and many fisheries fit this definition. All whitebait species spend part of their life cycle in fresh water and part in the sea. Tiny fish hatch in late autumn and are carried along rivers out to sea where they live and grow over the winter.
Whitebait is highly prized by kiwis. The New Zealand whitebait catch consists primarily of the young of the species: inanga (Galaxias attenuatus/maculatus), koaro (Galaxias brevipinnis) and banded kokopu (Galaxias fasciatus).
Inanga is by far the most commonly caught species. Giant kokopu (Galaxias argenteus), short-jawed kokopu (Galaxias postvectis) and smelt (Retropinna retropinna) are also occasionally present along with the young of many other fish such as eels, bullies and trout.
New Zealand Whitebait inanga Galaxias attenuatus

According to Charles Darwin in Origin of Species, Galaxias attenuatus inhabits Tasmania, New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, and the mainland of South America. This probably indicates dispersal from an Antarctic centre during a former warm period

Galaxias attenuatus is also found in south-eastern Australia. Although present in small numbers in some Tasmanian whitebait catches, G. attenuatus does not occur in quantities of commercial significance in any region other than New Zealand.

Tasmanian Whitebait fishing
Tasmanian Whitebait, Lovettia sealii were commercially fished until an extensive closed season beginning in 1974. Some recreational fishing has been allowed since 1990.
L. sealii occurs only in Tasmanian coastal streams, mainly along the north coast, but also in rivers of the west and far south-east. The adults have a transparent body with their gonad and swim bladder visible. After spawning they are almost black.

The West Australian whitebait, Hyperlophus vittatus is commercially fished from populations of adults occur along the entire coast between Fremantle and Bunbury where the whitebait do not normally extend very far offshore.

Whitebait silverfish nannata icefish
Asian whitebait, Salangidae, is imported from China and other Asian countries. It is also known as Chinese nannata, icefish, noodlefish and silverfish.

New South Wales Health is alerting people not to eat raw whitebait following reports of three Sydney women treated for cholera. All three women had recently eaten raw whitebait. Subsequent investigation found that the whitebait was imported from Indonesia and sold as 'Nanata'. Though this whitebait from Indonesia is no longer on the market, thorough cooking of seafood will kill cholera and other bacteria.

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Comments
2 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by Nomad

May 7th 2008 12:33
I like battered white bait, very tasty.

My girlfriend and I were at a Greek restaurant and there were battered white bait in the seafood platter. My girlfriend thought they were chips because there were so many there she wasn't to happy when I told her they were whole little fish.. ah well all the more for me.

Nomad

Comment by GlenB

May 9th 2008 07:50
Nice one!

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