The Fish ARE There

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32099, 22 September 1969, Page 17

The Fish ARE There

Fishermen who come away from the high country lakes with nothing In their' bags must be hopeless. During the last five years more than half a million rainbow trout have been liberated into the lakes and there is plenty of scientific evidence that most of them are still there getting fatter and fatter and more succulent every day. Every year the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society releases more than 100,000 trout into the lakes. At the time of liberation the fish are only seven inches long but after 12 months they represent two pounds or more of first class eating.

The fish are reared in special races at the society’s farm at Silverstream on the north side of the Waimakariri. They are fed twice a day on a rich diet of ox livers as they swim about in free running crystal clear spring water. The trout are hatched at the Greenpark station and brought to Silverstream when they are only an inch or two long. By the time they are ready to slip into the icy waters of the high country they are as fit and healthy as fighting cocks. Many of them leave Silverstream with tags which fishermen are asked to return to the society for the purposes of scientific studies on inland fisheries. The information obtained tells experts how the fish are doing in, speed of growth which in turn establishes how much feed is available in the lakes. AU the information so far obtained shows that fish released in the Canterbury high country are getting good rations and providing plenty of sport for the fishermen who finance the entire operations out of their licence fees. Experts, believe there are some giant trout in the lakes waiting to be caught by fishermen who can outwit their wily prey.