Story: Whitebait and whitebaiting

Nolan’s whitebait cannery

Nolan’s whitebait cannery

At the Nolan family’s whitebait cannery on the West Coast, whitebait are sorted (top) and then canned. Before the advent of refrigeration, canning was the only effective way to preserve large quantities of whitebait. In its time the Nolan cannery was the largest in the country. It ran from 1928 to 1952.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga
Reference: AAQT 6401/A3084 (top); AAQT 6536/A3085 (bottom)

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How to cite this page:

Carl Walrond, 'Whitebait and whitebaiting - Nets, screens and canneries', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/11706/nolans-whitebait-cannery (accessed 24 April 2024)

Story by Carl Walrond, published 24 Sep 2007, reviewed & revised 23 Jun 2023