NETTING TROUT.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 11529, 11 March 1903, Page 8

NETTING TROUT.

THE EXPERIENCE OF LATE WAKATIPU. Visiting Queenstown towards the latter end of last month, a member of "The Press" staff, bearing in mind the agptation in regard to Lake Ellesmere, took the opportunity to enquire into the effect of netting trout in Lake Wakatipu, where the practice was carried on for some years. Our representative retained a pleasant recollection of the splendid Lake trout, which were served up for breakfast st the hotel en the occasion of his previous visit some ten years before. At that time splendid fish were on sale at Kingston at 6d per lb, and it was a common practice for travellers returning to Dunedin and other places to buy trout to take with them. This time he learned with much regret that the Lake trout seemed to be a thing of the past. There were none Berved up at the hotel breakfast, and there were I none for sale. On making enquiries he was told that very few trout, were caught in the Lake now, and they were generally in bad condition. Opinions differed as to the cause of this sad falling-off. One or two j residents said they thought it was due to ] the netting, but most of those applied to said there was very little feed for the trout now. Tlie local sergeant of police, himself an enthusiastic angler, said he thought netting was bad for the Lake, as it was impossible to give effective supervision to the fishermen, but he also agreed that there was a great falling-off in the trout-feed. Our representative suggested that if the food supply of the trout had fallen off. the lessening of their numbeis by netting or otherwise ought to be a good thing, as tending to restore the balance. Tlie worthy sergeant adhered to his previous views regarding netting, but added that Mr Mcliaffy, tlie secretary to the Lake District Acclimatisation Society, had had more experience of the Lake than himself, and it would be a good thing to get his views on the subject. Mr Mebaffy was accordingly applied to, and kindly furnished the following valuable memorandum on the subject. It will be seen that he is entirely in favour of netting under judicious regulations : -4*Dear Sir, —I duly received your note, but other duties prevented my replying sooner. Netting.—Lake Wakatipu was first let for netting in 1885. The Lake was divided into sections, varying in length from two to four miles, and these were sold by auction. The nets used were to be of not less than 3-inch mesh —that is, 3 inches from knot to knot. Fish under 3ibs in weight could easily pass through these nets, and therefore only the larger fish would be taken. At first the trout taken would average about 101b in weight, but this average was gradually lowered, till in 1895 it was about 51b. " The nets at first were made of strong twine, but after a season or two the trout would not go near them, and at last fine linen thread nets had to be used. Revenue.—When first sold in 1885 the various areas realised £192, but for the .nine years following the average revenue would be about £100. After the destruction of the minnows in 1896 the trout seemed to have forsaken the shores, and the price obtained for the Lake was only £50, and netting (except in a few particular places) was at an end. The revenue derived from the sale of the netting rights was spent in hatching operations, and in ten years 2,098,000 young trout were placed in __ako Wakatinu and adjacent Btreams and lakes. Of this number 147,000 were placed every year in this Lake or in creeks running into it—thus at least three times as many were placed in the Lake in one year as would account for the trout netted during the whole ten years. Diminution in number of trout in Lake.— It woe noticed that hi 1895-6 the shores of the Lake were strewn with millions of minnows, and with the loss of their principal food the trout evidently sought fresii haunts, and the fishermen ceased netting. A-fter a year or two it was noticed that the trout were not in condition, and in some instances were so poor as to be unfit for food. Now it is hardly reasonable to blame netting for the scarcity of trout, for in 1896 the fish were as.plentiful as ever, though the very large fish were few and for between. For the last five or six years little or no netting has been done, and this year only two sections were sold, tlie rest of the Lake being reserved. As the " take" of fish fell 50 per cent, in one season, some other cause than netting must account for this diminution in numbers. There is a plentiful supply of fish in the Locky, but even there the trout are in many cases poor and "herring-gutted." lam of opinion that the less of food supply (minnows) and disease have caused the socalled diminution in number of trout in Lake Wakatipu, and not netting. Large numbers have gone up the Locky, Greenstone and other rivers, while thousands have gone down into the Kawarau river. The Lake is teeming with small fish of one, two and three years old, and these must have been hatched in some of the rivers, as our hatchery has been closed for three years, owing to want of funds. Netting and angilers.—l am of opinion that netting, instead of being prejudicial to tlie fishing, will in time be found to be beneficial. We do not want large-sized trout, as these prey upon the smaller ones, and do much more damage than netting. The mesh of the net could be increased so that only a limited number of fish could b_- caught—say a mesh that would let a bio fish through. This, while preventing the loss of so many young fry by the big cannibals, would "make the food supply better for those remaining. It is unfair to debar the public from ever tasting trout, and to hand over lakes and streams to a favoured few men of leisure and means. No wonder poaching is so prevalent all over the colony. I, myself, have poached years ago. Take this district for instance, there are only five or *»ix anglers in the whole of the county, and all the streams; and lakes are full of fish. Why should these fish be fireserved for the few privileged license-holders? While the supply of trout was maintained here little or no poaching was done, but of late years we have much trouble in trying to preserve the fish during the spawning season. Last winter hundreds of trout were to be seen in the little Mr-earn flowing through Queenstown, and notwithstanding every precaution not 10 per cent, were allowed to return to tlie Lake.—l am. etc., JOHN MEHAFFY, Hon. Secretary Lake District Acclimatisation, Society, Queenstown. Queenstown, March 6th.