Ngā Taonga Sound Archives: West Coast whitebaiting

The whitebait season on the West Coast of the South Island wraps up this weekend (although it runs until the end of November elsewhere in the country.) The region is famous for its whitebait and talk of closing more of its rivers to protect the endangered fish species, has upset many "baiters" on the Coast.  In today's visit to the sound archives of Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision Sarah Johnston takes a listen to the culture of West Coast whitebaiting back in the 1960s. 

Canned West Coast whitebait labels [Courtesy West Coast Recollect]

Whitebaiting on the Buller River, 1907 [Courtesy Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections]

Whitebaiting on the Buller River c.1920s [Courtesy Alexander Turnbull Library]