EXPERIMENTAL TRAWLING.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10869, 19 January 1901, Page 8

EXPERIMENTAL TRAWLING.

OPERATIONS TO BE RESUMED. THE COMMISSIONER OF FISHERIES INTERVIEWED. (BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.) Mr L. F. Ayson, Commissioner of Fisheries, after a very busy time in the South, pus-sod through 'Ohxist-hurch last night en route for Wellington, and after a few days' attention to work of the Department in the office, will resume the conduct of the trawling experiments on the coast. The Governm._.. has again chartered the steamier Doto, and tbe little vessel 'is all ready to take Mr Ayson and party on their further explorations as soon as they are ready to go. ' -»■ In the course of a hurried ten minutes' talk with a representative of the "Press" last night, Mr Ayson stated that, t4__sa#__ round, the results of the attempt to introduce salmon to New Zealand, on this occasion are going on very satisfactorily. There -_.c many difficulties "in the way of the su._-_s-ing batching of the ova, but 500,000 have been placed at 'tike new Government 'hatcheries at Hakaterainea, and 200,000 in a tempo, ary hatchery at the head of Lake Ohau, and are doing really; well. The whole lot is iiatend-d tor li3>e-_£__._ in the Waitak' and tributaries, b_t ;f%'ds intended to keel those at the first n_Bi_tione_ hatchery till tbey are t-hrte years old. .Nil* Ayson weont South in November last and got" tho hatching sheds in readiness, and finished just in time for the arrival of the ova- On Christmas Day he left Wellington for Auckland to meet the San Francisco mail boat, and was accompanied south oy the American expert who brought the consignment across, and who assisted in the unpacking and placing of the ova in the hatcheries.

Referring to the trawling, Mr Ayson says a commencement will be made at Napier in a few days, bufc the date is not definitely fixed. . The Doto will proceed along the west coast of the North Island and rounding the North Cape wiU coma down the other coast. Once clear of tna Napier waters the trip is expected to prove most interesting, especially in the Thames Gulf, from which great things are hoped. , For scientific records and investigations, Mr A. Hamilton. Marine Biologist, will accompany Mr Ayson, at the instance ot the Otago Institute. Mr Hamilton is Registrar of the Dunedin University, and is wll qualified to undertake ttie tas> allotted to him.