Moves To Protect Fish Supported

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 4

Moves To Protect Fish Supported

Moves to set minimum flow requirements to protect fish in Canterbury rivers and streams were welcomed by members at the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society on Wednesday evening. Concern was expressed, however, about who would police the requirements when they had been set. “This is something that is going to help us immensely in protecting the water in our territory,” said Mr F. J. Gorton. “But the whole thing is a farce unless someone is going to see that these requirements are adhered to.” Water conservation was discussed after a letter had been received from the North Canterbury Catchment Board, which said that it had deferred applications to take water from rivers and streams. This had been done while it obtained data on which to base a policy on minimum flow requirements. The board asked the society to say what rivers it considered to be fishing and spawning streams, and to give estimates of minimum flow requirements to sustain fish. Mr P. C. Dawson, chairman of the water conservation and pollution committee, said the

society would have to determine flow requirements over an area of 10,000 or 12,000 square miles. “The difficulties are not in the main rivers, but in the creeks where most of the spawning-runs take place. It is these creeks that the farmer mainly wants to use to irrigate his land,” he said. Mr G. W. Thompson asked how long the survey would take to complete, and how long the Catchment Board would defer applications to take water. “When summer comes the farmers are going to be screaming for water,” he said. It was not known how long the survey would take, but it would be done as quickly as possible. Suitable maps of the district were being sought and staff training in water gauging techniques was being considered, said Mr Dawson. Mr G. Mugford, chairman of the game committee, said it was unfortunate that farmers only wanted water for irrigation when rivers were at their lowest. Drawing off from wells has as much to do with it as pumping from rivers,” said Mr Mugford. “Just how long they can keep sucking it away like this I don’t know, but I know the Catchment Board is very concerned about it.”