Buy all five of Amber McEwan's books AND her Go Whitebait card game for only $70 (RRP $131)

Whitebait

Have you seen our gorgeous galaxiids in your local stream?

Our gorgeous what?

Galaxiids!

Well, maybe you haven't seen them. These beautiful native fish are shy and often can't be seen, not only because some of them are only active at night, but because their numbers are declining.

Why aren't there so many of them anymore?

Well...

... it's because of some of the things that we humans are doing; like polluting our waterways, and removing plants and trees that provide shade. And we eat them!

Eat them?

Yes! The babies of these wonderful native fish are whitebait, and some people take so many that not enough grow into adult kokopu, inanga and koaro. But enough talk; come inside and find out the full story.

Freshwater Fishes

Hey! What’s the difference between a native fish and a kiwi?

I’m guessing this is a trick question; so, tell me, what is the difference between a native fish and a kiwi?

Some native fishes are more endangered than kiwi!

Huh? 

That’s right; some of native fishes, that many people don’t even know exist, are closer to extinction than some species of kiwi.

And native fishes - galaxiids, eels, lamprey, bullies, flounder, smelt and torrentfish - are so interesting. They live such secretive and hidden lives that many New Zealanders have never seen them, or even know where to look for them.

Oh and you forgot... they are way good looking! I mean, just get a look at a torrentfish's gorgeous stripes and gold fins.

Take a look inside this book and see what other cool stuff you can find out about native freshwater fishes.

Invertebrates

Did you know that there are lots of amazing creepy crawly creatures living in our streams?

Our waterways are not just home to native fishes, but to an incredible range of animals called invertebrates - animals without a backbone! Even some of the insects we think of as being inhabitants of the air and bush actually live part of their lives in the water.

Freshwater invertebrates are those animals that live in freshwater environments, such as rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, hot springs, ditches – sometimes even puddles! And they include creatures such as craneflies, caddisflies and mosquitos.

We also have jellyfish, crabs, freshwater limpets, mussels and clams, as well as the hydra - a freshwater relative of the anemone. Many New Zealanders have never seen us, know about us or even know where to look for us. 

So, come and have a look and see what other cool animals you can find in a stream, river, lake or puddle near you.

The Whitebait Wriggle

Ian, Billy and Ginny, and Keri and Sheri have just set off on the journey of a lifetime. Tiny, little whitebait swimming all the way from the oceans around New Zealand to our rivers and streams.

Wriggling and darting through
the waves and the foam,
They all swim together 
in search of a home.

Ian the inanga was silver and dotty,
Giant kōkopu Ginny was dark brown and spotty.
The banded kōkopu Billy, the kōaro called Keri.
And the shortjaw kōkopu answered to Sheri.

Join our tiny whitebait as they undertake their quest to find a home. Share in the wonder as Ian, Billy and Ginny, and Keri and Sheri grow into five beautiful native fish.

Eel Song

Join Aotearoa’s amazing longfin eels on their migration from the silver-cold streams, rivers and lakes in which they grew up, to the tropical Pacific Islands far away. Once there, the longfins spawn and when the eggs hatch, tiny, leaf-like baby eels drift on ocean currents back to Aotearoa.

Go Whitebait

Amber McEwan has taken her passion for Aotearoa New Zealand's native freshwater fauna in a new direction, creating an fun and educational card game. Making up a standard pack, her Go Whitebait cards are not only beautifully illustrated, but can be used just like a normal pack of cards.

How to play Go Whitebait

Each player is dealt 7 cards, which they hold in a closed hand.  The rest of the cards are placed in a stack in the middle facing down.

The youngest player starts, then turns proceed in a clockwise direction.

Each turn starts with a question to a player of their choice: e.g. “do you have a forest pool?”

• If the player does have that card, they must give hand it over, at which point the person whose turn it is can lay down any pairs they choose. The turn then moves on.
• If the player does not have that card, they say “go whitebait!”, and the person whose turn it is picks up a card from the pile. The turn then moves on.

The only time a player can lay down pairs is during their turn, after they have asked their question.  Jokers can take the place of any card.  The game is won when a player has all 5 pairs laid down in front of them.

Other ways to play: the cards can also be used as a memory match game, and because they have the standard suits of a normal pack of cards you can play any other card game with these, if you ever get tired of Go Whitebait!