INTERFERENCE WITH RIVER MOUTHS

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23508, 10 December 1941, Page 10

INTERFERENCE WITH RIVER MOUTHS

Sir,—Could any of your readers inform me whether it is an offence against the law for unauthorised persons to interfere with the natural mouth of a river? If so, why have the authorities concerned never taken action at the Rakaia mouth? Practically every year, at some time or other, through the fishing season, attempts (often successful) have been made to scoop out a new mouth on the Ashburton side of the river. Although I did not see it I have been informed that this year an artificial mouth has been made near the Ashburton fishing huts side. With two mouths (one artificially created) no lagoon remains adjacent to the sea; consequently the trout and salmon fishing is ruined at the river mouth. Whenever there is a good lagoon good fishing is always experienced as it has been found that salmon and trout travel to and from the sea for several days until they become accustomed to the fresh water. With no lagoon at the mouth the fish make straight up the river and, for same unaccountable reason, under these conditions prove very difficult to catch. From a sporting viewpoint the men who are responsible for interfering with the river mouth should let nature take its course. I presume the reason for making the artificial mouth on the Ashburton side is to avoid walking along the shingle bank, but good sportsmen should be prepared to put up with a little inconvenience and not spoil the sport for the majority.—Yours, etc., INQUIRER. December 3, 1941. [Mr M. Hope, Government Inspector of Fisheries, commenting on this letter, said that its facts were wrong. There was no outlet on the Ashburton side of the Rakaia river, although that was the natural place for an outlet to occur if there was any Hooding. Mr Hope said he had had the river under fairly frequent observation for the last three years,\ and he considered it was impossible for anyone, without using horses and scoops, to make an outlet artificially.]