Stands usually consist of a hut or shelter and a jetty extending out into the water.
Since 1997, the number of stands allowed on Southland rivers has been restricted to the 654 lawfully occupied stands the council registered that year.
New stands are prohibited, although existing stands can be replaced.
People are also able to go whitebaiting along most riverbanks during the season, which in Southland runs from mid-August until the end of November.
Council staff inspect whitebait stands annually to make sure they have consent and have not been moved from their original location, and that no new stands have been built.
In March, staff placed notices on 11 stands on the Pourakino, Aparima, Oreti, Mataura and Titiroa rivers that were believed to be there without consent.
Staff said at the time that while some stands looked historic, others looked brand-new.
The notices asked owners to contact the council.
Senior compliance officer Jarred Martin said last week about half of those owners had been in touch.
In most cases, they had been told their stands were illegal and to remove them.
''To date, none of the illegal stands have been removed by the council.
All stands will be inspected in the coming whitebait season, around October, and if [they] have not been removed we will have to issue formal notices for their removal,'' he said.
There was still time for anyone who had received a notice to come forward and talk to staff, he said.
