Whitebait prices skyrocket as weather hampers stocks

By CLAIRE TREVETT

Hunting for the elusive whitebait is a risky pursuit even when you only want to catch it on the shop shelf.

Whitebait prices are soaring as high as $130/kg in some areas.

Nearly one month into the season, dismal weather on the West Coast had left the whitebait deciding whether to run or not.

Greymouth's Albert St Fish Supply had no whitebait to sell.

Other retailers had found the blighters, but were selling them on average from $90 to $100/kg. The cheapest found was at Hamilton's Seafood Bazaar, where fresh whitebait was selling for $75/kg. Sellers on internet sites fishing.net.nz and trademe.co.nz, were selling it for $70/kg plus $10 for a courier.

St Pierre's marketing manager Nick Katsoulis said he had only been able to find North Island whitebait so far, caught in the Waikato River.

He had seen it selling for $120/kg in Christchurch. "Prices haven't changed too much over the last five years. It's just supply and demand and there are just not enough being caught. Next year they will be changing its name to goldbait."

He did not hold out much hope of prices dropping. "It's not the sort of seafood where they catch a whole lot and say 'we'll do a big special because there's so much'. My motto would be if you see it, buy it because the chances are if you wake up tomorrow and want it, you won't find any."

Donna Meddings, owner of Gladstone Fish Supply in New Plymouth, decided not to stock any after prices went to $120/kg, up from the $78 she had paid last year. Instead she tried the proactive approach.

"I tried my hand at catching some and I got four."

Four kilograms? "Four whitebait. In three hours. It cost me $20 in petrol as well, so they were an expensive four whitebait. About $5 each."

Neville Cain, a Christchurch-based retailer who catches his own whitebait on the West Coast, was hoping things would change. "It's a very poor season so far. There are usually some whitebait around by now. But it will still come. Prices could come down if we get a big run, but they would probably only drop by $10 in this season, whereas in other seasons they have dropped $20. But so far the river has been dirty for about 20 days."

In Mokau, a North Island whitebait hotspot, Mokau Butcher's Graham Putt said although it had been a bad season, he was trying to keep the price at $95/kg. "I refuse to charge any more. It's an overrated fish really."

Seafood Bazaar manager Michelle Grant said they had been getting a regular supply for the last three weeks, but she had seen it selling for $140 in Auckland.

"It ranges from $95 to $130/kg, depending on where you go. It can be difficult to gauge when you can sell it or how much you will get. It is a fickle thing."

Wonderful whitebait

Prices for 1kg of whitebait

* Seamart, Auckland: $99.95.

* St Pierre's Auckland: $90 to $100, less if bought in bulk.

* Seafood Bazaar, Hamilton: $75.

* City Seafood Market, Christchurch: $100 plus.

* Hoon Hay Seafoods, Christchurch: $95.

* Albert St Fish Supply, Greymouth: no whitebait in stock.

* Kings Fish Market, Invercargill: $95.

* Internet: $70 plus $10 courier.

What you can buy for the price of 1kg of whitebait ($100)

* 7kg of chocolate.

* 3kg of teabags.

* 14kg of cheese.

* 21kg of soap powder.

* 119kg of potatoes.

* 70g of saffron.

* 200g of the cheapest truffle.

[top five taken from Statistics NZ Food Price Index]

The best whitebait fritters

1 egg.

Whitebait.

Salt and pepper.


Mix together.

Fry like an omelette till mixture bubbles.

Flip over, fry that side until it's a nice light brown.

Serve between two slices of buttered white bread.