SALMON IN CANTERBURY RIVERS

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21133, 7 April 1934, Page 9

SALMON IN CANTERBURY RIVERS

in IJlf ETHioK "F r HE PrtF.SS Sir, —Professor Percival made some interesting comments in "The Press" on Thursday on the acclimatisation of salmon in New Zealand. "Professor Percival remarked." says the report, "that he had heard it said by anglers that there were fewer salmon about this season than last year. However, he suggested that in many rivers, while the: conditions had been favourable for Ihe salmon io run. tney had not been favourable for angling. Anglers only .judged by what they actually saw of the fish, and during the last season it might very well have been that Ihe fish were actually in the rivers without being observed." In so far as the Rakaia is concerned the professor is quite wrong in his suggestion that the river this year has not been as suitable for angling as it was last year. Last year the river was dirty for nearly six weeks on end in the salmon season, whereas this year i 1 has had just normal floods. When he says, "anglers only judged by what they actually saw of the fish," and implies that the statement that salmon are scarcer thu year than last if not correct, he does so. no doubt, having a knowledge of the numbers of fish in the river which is 'ounded on much better information than that. Will the professor tell us on what evidence he is basing his assumption that the anglers are wrong? Has he been tc the river himself to investigate, and if so, what did he actually observe' I think it will take more than an unsupported statement from the professot to persuade Rakaia anglers that there are anything like as many salmon, ir it this year as there have been in anj ] other season for the last five years.— I Yours, etc., ] ANGLER.