WILDLIFE INQUIRY Abolition Of Societies Widely Supported

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31783, 13 September 1968, Page 21

WILDLIFE INQUIRY Abolition Of Societies Widely Supported

The Wildlife Commission of Inquiry in Christchurch yesterday heard submissions from 16 organisations and private persons—of whom 14 urged the abolition of acclimatisation societies.

Abolition of the societies was the over-riding theme of submissions, some of which roundly criticised shortcomings the societies had shown over 100 years.

Submissions generally sought the establishment of a comprehensive wildlife authority, within the framework of the present division of the Department of Internal Affairs.

The commission, comprising Messrs J. K. Hunn (chairman). R. F. Stead, and Dr R. K. Dell, will sit again today to hear submissions from the Universty of Otago and the Otago Acclimatisation Society Mr L. W. McCaskill, of Christchurch, made eight submissions including the abolition of acclimatisation societies—“which have long been an anachionism,” he said.

“They have been responsible for so many of our problems that they have a poor public image." “Very few have fulfilled their commitments under the Act for the preservation of protected species. “Their recisions and actions are too often based on parochialism, rather than on the results of research and on considerations of national importance,” he said. Mr McCaskill recommended that the present Wildlife Branch be renamed, and reorganised and expanded to enable it to discharge its responsibilities. The branch should be located in the Department of Internal Affairs and continue to carry on its basic and applied research. The Forest Service should be responsible for administration of, and research into and control of, noxious pests. The Department of Internal Affairs should recognise and encourage the formation of angling and game-bird clubs, designed to encourage interest in their sports and with the department and its staff on a local basis.

Representatives of these clubs should form a National Fish and Game Bird Advisory Council, and meet annually with the Department of Internal Affairs. Control Of Sea Birds

It was urgent that sea birds be taken from the control of acclimatisation societies, and desirable that all protected birds come under a wildlife authority, Mr B. N. Norris, an honorary ranger, told the commission.

Mr Norris based his belief on his own experience of two disasters involving sea birds, and three problems now applying.

He recounted how in July, 1965. and in August, 1967. hundreds of penguins and other sea birds had perished through contact with escaping oil.

On the first occasion, when fuel oil escaped from Lyttelton harbour oil installation, he had contacted the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society but had been told: “We have no interest in sea birds, and have no intention of becoming involved in their troubles.”

Mr Norris said he had then gone about the salvage of 50 birds at his own expense. In August last year he had seen oil escape from a ship in Pegasus Bay with penguins coming ashore oiled and dying. He had contacted Mr C. Kite, of the Internal Affairs Department, and been told to go to the Acclimatisation Society.

Mr Norris said he had again asked the Acclimatisation Society for help, and after “a fierce row” had got a party to go to Motunau Island to rescue penguins. “The birds had obviously been oiled for more than a week,” he said. The trouble, he said, had at least established that sea birds were the responsibility of the Acclimatisation Society.

Mr Norris said the existing problems regarding sea birds were:—

The continued fishing for seagulls by Asian crews of overseas vessels. The operation of the drainage board in suburban streams during the duck-nesting season. The activities of waterskiers and high-powered boats in small inland lakes, of which one had lost its purpose as a closed game area. “Impediment To Progress” Mr I. Stirling, a Canadian studying the population dynamics of the Weddell seal at McMurdo Sound, said the greatest impediment to progress in research and management had been the existence of the acclimatisation societies. Research by the societies had been virtually nil, nor had they in the last 100 years implemented the management needed to meet the growing pressures of society on wildlife resources. “I feel it is axiomatic that any control of wildlife or fisheries be removed from the societies and placed under a Government body,” he said. Mr F. W. Grayburn, of South Canterbury, said that acclimatisation societies had long since become out of date. He suggested that six districts be set up, with one head office in charge of a Government appointee, in each area. Control of acclimatisation societies, he said, was generally in the hands of a small group “who are incapable of getting out of the rut of their

own making. They won’t take any advice from country-bred sportsmen, who have spent a lifetime studying fish and game. All they do is moan about the detrimental effect of floods, droughts, catchmentboard activities, erosion, angling, and shooting.” Representatives of Game Collection, Ltd, and 13 other South Island game-packing houses asked that commercial interests be consulted before Government deer culling was commenced. This would give the gamemeat industry the chance to assist in the operations to the general benefit of taxpayers. From commercial operations the gain in national wealth was about $27 per animal excluding by-products and skins. The Industry was concerned with the apparent lack of a centralised authority controlling the administration of poisoning.