SALMON IN LAKE TE ANAU

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23053, 22 June 1940, Page 17

SALMON IN LAKE TE ANAU

FAILURE TO RUN TO SEA DAMAGE CAUSED TO FISK BY STRIPPING fTHE PRESS Special Service.! INVERCARGILL, June 21. The mystery of the failure of Atlantic salmon in Lake Te Anau to go to sea was discussed by Mr G. Stokell,' Of Springston, Canterbury, in an address to the Southland branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Mr Stokell has done much research on native fresh water fishes and has made an extensive study of the salmon in Lake Te Anau. Mr Stokell said he had examined scales of 240 Atlantic salmon from Lake Te Anau, and he had not found one fish which gave any evidence of being sea-run. One of the most popular theories about why the fish did not go to sea was that the feeding in the lake was so rich that there was no inducement for them to go to sea. This was, however, in direct opposition to the law apparently governing sear going fish, because in Norway or Scotland where the young fish made rapid

growth on.rich feeding, they migrated earlier. than fish of slower growth. If the Te Anau. salmon were derived from true sea-goihg stock and the feeding in the lake was - unusually rich, they should .g0..t0 sea, earlier. It had been suggested that if the food in the lake diminished the salmon would migrate but he did not agree with this theory and considered that if-the fish did not migrate now they would, not do so later.. ■ The Te,Anau salmon were unlike the quinnat salmon in Canterbury, which died out in about two generations. The Te Anau salmon appeared able to reproduce. They were definitely the most interesting fish in New Zealand. One point he had noticed in his investigation, Mr Stokell said, was that many of the fish had suffered damage in stripping. As the fish were fairly rare this damage was a serious, matter, as it affected reproduction.