Salmon rivers

Press, 23 September 1981, Page 20

Salmon rivers

Sir,—After much costly endeavour a Southern Hemisphere stock of self-sustaining, sea-run quinnat salmon was successfully established in New Zealand waters, where for 70 years the limit of its “natural” range has been rivers of the South Island east coast. Serious population decline has occurred. Hydro-electric works have dammed and made rivers impassable to salmon returning upstream to the spawning tributaries, which anyway have disappeared beneath lakes. Irrigation abstraction has drastically reduced flows, producing also enlarged sand bars at river mouths to impede further the return of the salmon. Only four rivers (Waimakariri, Rakaia, Rangitata, Lower Waitaki) still have “major” salmon runs left, and all are threatened by large development proposals. There is nothing in the new Water and Soil legislation that will protect these salmon rivers in perpetuity against such threats. Is this unique and important fishery, which took so much effort to establish, to be finally killed off at the altar of multiple use and think big”—Yours, etc., ERIC BENNETT. September 20. 1981.