ACCLIMATISATION

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20986, 14 October 1933, Page 22

ACCLIMATISATION

WOBTH CANTERBURY SOCIETY / INTEODUCTION OF TROUT [By JOHN STANLEY.] V. The North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society's first work was the introduction of trout. This body was formed by a group of enthusiastic sportsmen who recognised the vast possibilities offered by Canterbury's many lakes and rivers. Their way was not easy, for they were handicapped by a lack of funds, ana also, the transportation of ova by the old sailing vessels was a hazardous business. They had many failures, and the percentage of ova which hatched out on many occasions was very disheartening. At first the society concentrated on the stocking of only a few rivers, but there was a large demand for fry by land owners who wished to stock their own streams, and small quantities of fry (not more than two dozen to any one person) were sold for £2 E dozen in the early 'seventies. A striking example of our pioneers' enthusiasm was shown in 1870, when a Mr J. D. Enys, of Castle Hill, rode 60 miles on horseback carrying in a bait-can 18 one-inch trout which he liberated in a stream near his homeStead. The inaugural meeting of the Acclimatisation Society was held on January 26, 1864, but it was not until two years later that ponds for rearing trout were formed in the gardens, a portion of which was given to the society by the Provincial Government. In 1867 it was decided that the curator should be sent to Tasmania to bring back a consignment of trout ova, and it was agreed that he should receive a bonus of £1 for every fish which hatched out in New Zealand and lived to be six greeks old.

Ova Shipments. At a cost of £383, 800 ova were shipped! from Hobart to Lyttelton under the care of the curator, but owing to a long, rough passage, the ova were in a very poor condition when unpacked. Only three hatched out, and, as a crowning misfortune, these managed to escape from the pond into which they had been placed. In 1863, 433 fry were obtained from the Otago Provincial Government, ■who had just received a consignment, a fair proportion of which had hatched out. One hundred and twelve of these were retained in the society's gardens for future breeding, and the rest were turned out in the Avon (164), Heathcote (12), Purau (25), Ir■well (40), Lake Coleridge (20), Cam (20), Kakaia (20), and 10 in a Mr Jennings' pond at Rangiora, and 10 in Mr Peacock's pond at St. Albans. j The trout kept in the gardens grew rapidly, and by 1870 had increased in numbers, and there was evidence that those which had been turned out in the rivers were also increasing. In August, 1873, a number of the stock fish were caught and stripped, and for the first time the ova were artificially impregnated. The following month more were done, in all about 16,000 eggs being secured. The experiment was successful, for about 70 per cent, of the ova hatched out. Unfortunately the young fry were later attacked by a fungus, and more than ha'f of them were killed. These were all brown trout, and in 1872 the society sent to Tasmania for a shipment of salmon trout, which are better sporting fish than the brown trout, and also better for the table. Three hundred ova were shipped in the following year, but with little success for only 49 hatched out. They ■were all kept in the gardens for some time, but in the following year most of them were turned out into rivers near Christchurch. The brown trout, in the meanwhile, had increased rapidly, and in 1874 several hundred fry were sold to other South Island societies. They had grown rapidly in size also, for the rivers were full of good natural food, and in August a trout weighing 121b ■was caught in the Avon. Of all the rivers the Avon was the best stocked, and in 1875 a three-months fishing season (January-March) was allowed for the Avon only. The license fee was £l. . Salmon trout had been acclimatised in Southland and Otago for some time, and in December of 1874 a large fish of this species was caught in Dunedin harbour weighing seven lb. Other species of trout had also been introduced into Southland and Otago, and all were doing well.

Stocking of Streams.

The North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society now had a good supply of stock fish, and they started stocking streams further afield, going as far south as the Opihi. The 1876-7? fishing season was from October 16 to February 28, and several anglers landed four or five dozen good fish during that time. The best trout taken from the Avon was one weighing 13 lb. It was caught by a Mr H. It Gwalkin in Park terrace on October 20 The society at this. time started supplying other acclimatisation societies; and sold several thousand ova at 80 Ea a ch 0 year, as the stock Ash grew larger and more numerous and the society's curator became more proficient in stripping them, the distribution of trout became larger, and during 1877 35 525 fry were liberated in different rivers. In this year the Auckland Acclimatisation .Society received from England a consignment of 5000 brooK trout ova, but only 250 of these hatched out. Later, the Canterbury Society purchased some from Auckland, and turned them out in the Avon and Selwyn. . . About 1880 it was suggested that fresh shipments of various s E ecl s s trout from overseas would be .beneficial for breeding purposes, and in the following year brook trout were ordered from America. Four separate shipments were made, but none of the ova obtained hatched out. A Mr Johnston, formerly the society s curator, had established a trout farm in Opawa (now Johnston's fishponds, at that time Trout Dale Farm), and having successfully introduced some brook trout, 200 were purchased from him at the cost of £5. The various societies also started an interchange of fish, and by 1885 the Wellington and Canterbury societies alone had exchanged ■2O 000 fry. This interchange of fish resulted in several fresh varieties being obtained bv tibe Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, and at the end of 1888 there were salmon trout (580), Loch Levin trout (200), brown trout (400), charr (80), English brook trout (20), and Scottish burn trout (30) in ponds, besides several species of salmon, rhe best fish caught in the Avon in 1888 were two taken by a Mr W. Dunnage, weighing 13 and 15lb. Some were caught in the Irwell and Selwyn about the same weight. ... Various species were liberated in the same rivers, and after a time it became apparent that they were interbreeding, for trout were caught which had the characteristics of two or more varieties. On more than one occasion large fish were caught which were taken for salmon, but were subsequently discovered to be crossbreds. Thirteen thousand five hundred Loch ILeven trout ova were brought out to Canterbury by the Aorangi in 1889, but the whole of the consignment was bad. Activities of Poachers, The Acclimatisation Society always had" to contend with poachers, but in the 'eighties the poaching of trout became particularly bad, and a large public bought fish which they knew had been taken in nets by unlicensed fishermen. When, on November 20, 1888, two men were caught netting trout in the Waimakariri (one had

five fish averaging three pounds the other three, one of wn» eight pounds in weight), ™*L. a nd brought before the fined £lO each. This «Xsa?. caused a great stir many ing that netting should be P« w so that everyone would be awe trout. General poaching: the bad to worse, and on May.Oj following year a man aucuo sackful of ducks fte fjgj at Ferry road. The bidding f^ tua liy Is a pair, and they were ev«*, sold at 2s 6d. In HMtowgjd cided to issue licenses for selling trout during the wa the season. The trout perin order to secure more, sons started to use dynwute, one instance several sacKs _# were taken from P° ols A I" that the part of the Selwyn. f-f e er of trout, society prohibited the sale" Despite these many setbacjw ever, the culture of trout lg9 , to thrive in Canterbury, ana > gV£r . the annual distribution ol <» aged about 200,000.