SPORT AT WHAKATANE.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 209, 3 September 1919, Page 9

SPORT AT WHAKATANE.

TROUT. PHEASANT, AND DEER. TOURIST OFFICE PLANS. (Special to "Star.") WHAKATANE, Tuesday.. Mr, Routledge, a recently-appointed ranger for the Rotorua. Acclimatisation Department, is investigating the resources of the Bay of Plenty. Unlike other parts of New Zealand, this district is entirely under the Government, through the medium of the Tourist Department. It covers counties. "We have turned out," e>aid Mr. Routledge, "during the past month, at Whakaitane at two places up stream 50,000 trout -fry in the Whakatane River and 20,000 in the Rangitaiki River. In time I shall be re-stocking the countryside with pheasants. And red deer is also under coniaideration. There are red deer, I believe, on the Tarawera Mountain, but none, so far as I know, nearer. We .will do more for these dis- ! tricts if the public shows that they will preserve the game and act as eport""men.

I "Your fishing grounds? Yes. I 'have had a look up tlie rivers, and it seems ito mc they are very suitable for angling. j I think the fish will do very well. Two ' seasons hence they will be ready for [ angling. ! "Enemies? Why, I don't think you i have any in the rivere here. Your chief I enemies will be of the two-footed kind, | perhaps. if we can prevail upon tlhe natives along the countryside to look at the matter from a sporting point of view instead of a table one it will make considerable difference. Shags are appar- ! ently not very numerous, except in the i lower Teaches —not so numerous as in other.parts, I'am not sure if there are many eels here. I am inclined to--think the waters may be too rapid "for them, except in the brackish water near th e river mouths. The chief thing needed is for a few keen gun men to go out -of their way to _Joot the shags. This would indirectly improve the fishing. And I may add that there is a royalty of 2/0 a head for shags. "Destructive? Why a shag will take a trout weighing a pound. They will eat •their own weight in a day. I got a shag itlhe other' day with an 18-ouncc fiish inside it. When .there are trout in the river they will spend all day feeding on them. There arc a lot of very good sportsmen in the Whakatane district, and the Department is anxious to dp (everything possible to improve tb« sport."