Introduction of quinnat salmon to New Zealand

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32975, 22 July 1972, Page 11

Introduction of quinnat salmon to New Zealand

(By

W. P. ELSON)

In his article on salmon in “The Press” on July 1 Mr C. J. Hardy claims that salmon were established by the Marine Department over a 40-year period.

However, he omitted to mention that acclimatisation societies first introduced quinnat salmon into New Zealand in 1875, 26 years before the Government commenced the stocking policy in the Waitaki River system. It is correct that the Government took up a stocking policy in the Waitaki system in 1901, with ova supplied from California, a gift from the United States Fish Commission, but there were indications that quinnat were already established, as early as 1898, as the result of stocking by acclimatisation societies from 1875.

In 1876 a large quantity of ova was imported, 84.000 for the Government, 60,000 for the Napier Acclimatisation Society, and quantities for the Auckland and Canterbury Acclimatisation Societies. The Government’s share was hatched in Southland and of the resulting fry, most were placed in the Five Rivers between Eyre Creek and Lowther. The North Island Societies placed fry in the Waikato, the Mahurangi and Southern Wairoa Rivers. The Wellington Society received about 400 fry which were released in the Hutt River. The Canterbury Society released 20,000 fry distributed in the Waimakariri, the Rakaia, the Hurunui, the Rangitata, the Avon and the Ashley Rivers. Releases in 1877 In 1877 about 98,000 ova were planted, and around 1800 fry released in North Island rivers, by the Auckland and Wellington societies. The Nelson Society received 25,000 ova and resulting fry were released in the Motueka and Wairoa Rivers. Approximately 25,000 fry were released in the Grey River by the Grey Society. The Canterbury Society hatched 30,000 fry, and 10,000 were released in the Waimakariri River, 10,000 in the Rangitata, with lesser numbers in the Hurunui and Heathcote Rivers. About 30,000 fry were hatched by the Otago Society and released in the Kakanui and Waipahi Rivers, whilst the Southland Society released 35,000 fry in the Oreti River, 18,000 in the Makarewa and 10,000 in the Waipahi Rivers.

In 1878 the Auckland society imported 100,000 ova which were planted in the upper reaches of the Thames, whilst in 1880 the Wellington society received 5000 fry which were released in the Hutt River. Eleven years passed, during which time no further ova were imported, until the Government made a decision to commence stocking in the upper reaches of the Waitaki and the Hakataramea. In 1901, 500,000 ova were received from California, given free by the United States Fish Commission. Half was hatched at Lake Ohau, the remainder at Hakataramea, and in 1902, 24,000 one-year-

old salmon were released in the Waitaki. In 1903, 33,000 two-year-old fish were released in the Hakataramea River. During 1905, 385,000 fry were hatched from ova which was supplied as a gift from the United State's during 1904, and released in the Hakataramea. More than 5000 three to four - year - old, and over 10,000 one-year-old fish were released the same year. A 161 b catch In 1906, 500,000 ova were received from San Francisco, resulting in 240,000 fry hatching at lake Ohau, and over 220,000 fry hatching at Hakataramea. These fish were released, together with a quantity of older fish, and also 53,000 one-year-old fish. The same year a 161 b salmon was taken from the Hakataramea, a tributary of the Waitaki. From 1907 to 1940 further ova was obtained from the United States resulting in large releases of salmon.

The Marine Department’s report in 1907 made mention that quinnat had been taken in the Hakataramea, and that during the spawning season of 1907 established wild fish were being stripped, and in 1909 235,000 ova were stripped, all from wild fish. In 1910, 25,000 ova were sent to Tasmania, and 150,000 sent to the Government hatchery on the West Coast of the South Island, and resulting fry being released in the Hokitika system. The same occurred in 1913, when 250,000 ova were stripped from the Waitaki, and 150,000 having been hatched in Westland. The fry were released in the Hokitika. A further 25,000 ova were sent to Tasmania the same year. Further imports of ova do not appear to have been made, but stripping of wild fish continued until 1940. The Marine Department’s report in 1915-16 mentioned that quinnat salmon had been taken by anglers in the Waitaki, Rangitata, and Rakaia Rivers. By 1921-22 it was reported that quinnat were occurring as far north as the Waiau River to as far south as the Clutha River, and by 1923 most Canterbury rivers were being fished for salmon, good numbers of fish being taken from all of them. Unanswered question The question as to whether the quinnat salmon was established in Canterbury rivers entirely from the stocking policy undertaken by the Government in the Waitaki system from 1901, or whether they were already established in the South Island rivers at that time, is one that may never be answered. There can be no disputing that good results were obtained from the Waitaki stocking policy, but there is also the strong possibility that a wild stock was established from the earlier liberations, before the Waitaki work was started. More than 50,000 fry had been released by the Canterbury Acclimatisation Society by 1877, in several

South Island rivers, these being the Rakaia, Waimakariri, Rangitata and Hurunui Rivers, and whilst the records show the first quinnat was taken in the Waitaki system, it must be understood that attention was being focused on this area, because of the effort being made there at the time. The mode of transport then available, unlike today, restricted the anglers’ ability to get out to the remote places, thus the chances of their reporting the presence of quinnat, particularly in the more remote areas would be fairly unlikely. Very few people in New Zealand were capable of identifying quinnat then, and hundreds or even thousands could have run up these rivers and spawned without being identified, or even without their presence being known. Some of the stories told of huge trout being taken in these rivers in the early years could be cases of mistaken identity. In a report in a sporting magazine, the author tells of seeing his dog chewing on a fish which had been lying dead, washed up on the shingle on the edge of the riverbed. The fish was 36in long and the year was 1898. It must be understood here, that unlike trout, which normally spawn several times, quinnat die near their spawning grounds, some drift downstream through weakness, until they are washed up along the edge of the river, where they finally die, and the carcases decay there. The possibility of quinnat salmon being established in New Zealand prior to 1900 cannot therefore be dismissed.