CANTERBURY FISHING STREAMS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20334, 5 September 1931, Page 11

CANTERBURY FISHING STREAMS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PSESS. Sir, —1< have road with interest, the discussion in your columns regarding the policy of the Acclimatisation Hociety's council, and I cannot agree with those correspondents who favour a re. striotion of fishing hours. Your correspondent "Fish for Kecreatlon" seenw obsessed with one ides: "Stop the fishing and save the fish.'' It is no doubt a plan that Would have beneficial results as regards the number of" fish in the rivers under present conditions, but does such a.policy study the license-holder! In my opinion it would operate directly against the working with little time fotL-sport and recreation. The, average working»man 'a spare time is restricted entirely to nights and Sun»

days. Owing to the distance of our fishing rivers from the Oity, the night fisherman, be he fly or bully—and there in an art in both types of fishing-*-can-not help but start his fishing at a late hour; and to make the,trip worth tho time and trouble he invariably fishes well into the night. 1 might suggest, however, that this does not mean an overflowing bag of fish, for as a rule the trout are on the take for quite a short period, and unless one is on the spot at that time, whenever it may be> an empty bag will result. Another point is, that even now our fishing rivers arc crowded on Sundays. A restriction on the hours of fishing will compel the majority of night fisheimen to forgo their night's sport, and join the already overcrowded ranka of the Sunday anglers, with harmful) results to both the fishing and the fish. I feel strongly that the same result as that desired by ,"Fish for Beereation" could be #tain6d:byafniore tfcmatic stocking' o£ our rivers- 'Tb»u : sands of fry are dumped here and there for this purpose—and now we are told that only 4.per cent, of theso survive. Surety this loss could be minimised by the liberation of bigger flsh,*as is done in other-eduntfies.—-Yours, ete.j , ..,.." ~:.; . '. NTGIEiI ■'Fs& September 4th; 3931. ]' '-"■'■