The whitebaiting season begins on Friday in most of the country, and comes with a warning to whitebaiters not to spread an invasive alga, didymo.
The Department of Conservation says everybody needs to do their bit by cleaning their gear before they travel from one waterways to another.
DoC is also reminding people of the whitebaiting regulations.
They include using only one net at a time, and staying within 10 metres of the net, which shouldn't exceed more a third of the width of the water channel.
The whitebait season starts next month on the South Island's West Coast.
