Ministry’s help sought

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33384, 16 November 1973, Page 10

Ministry’s help sought

| North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society members at the annual meeting on Wednesday evening voted, in the words of the chairman (Mr N. I. Voyce), to have control of fish stocking “taken from the society and given to [the Ministry of Agricul-i ture and Fisheries.” < With only a few dis-[ ■ senting voices the meeting j [adopted a motion, proposed, [by Mr D. J. Hughey that the! society ask the Ministry .to. [ [advise it on fish stocking. [ The motion read: "That the [ Ministry of Agriculture and [Fisheries be asked to investigate and report on all I aspects of stripping, hatching and rearing of trout and! salmon in the society’s dis-! [trict and that th.e council! adopt and carry out whatever recommendations that! [are made.” About 80 persons attended! the meeting. Mr W. J. McKillop, the [ ; chairman of the fish man- [ agement committee vigor- 1 ously defended the society’s! stocking policy but appar-[ ently failed to convince [ those at the meeting that it' w’as resulting in better fishing. Mr Hughey said that nu-[ merous authorities were against the methods of trout stocking which the society used. A mistake had ob-

viously been made in liberating fish directly into lakes during 1968, and subsequent liberations had been made in the streams feeding lakes. Was there any .assurance that liberating in streams was more successful than in lakes? Rainbow trout had been reported seen, in greater numbers in these i rivers; but this proved [nothing; it was conjecture. “There is not one iota of [proof that anglers are catch[ing more fish that have been ! [artificially released, - than [fish that have bred natur-i [ally,” Mr Hughey said.’ [Tagged fish returns were ! running atonly 0.3 per cent, he said. It was disclosed at the meeting by Mr McKillop that salmon at the society’s [ [Silverstream hatchery had [developed a gill complaint. The Marine Department was! investigating the outbreak. Specimens had been sent [to Australia in an attempt to [identify, and control the disease, Mr Boyce said. Salmon losses at the hatchery had [been “drastic.” A number of ■ members sharply criticised the society’s policy of regaining minimum stocks of [fish at the Silverstream [hatchery for North Canterbury use, and making the balance available for sale to other societies. Mr Hughey said that if there were too; few fish in North Canterbury rivers, why was the society selling stocks? Mr McKillop said that it

was pointless releasing fish [ into rivers that were drying up, or into lakes, like Lake Coleridge that had recently risen so much that fish were being washed through the lake’s outlets. One member said that, by selling, turnover in the [ hatchery could be main-; tained. at a high level regard- [ less of whether the fish were | released locally, or else-: where. It was more! economical to do this.