500 for spawning

Press, 3 June 1982, Page 17

500 for spawning

About 500 third-year female salmon have been retained by Mr Barker this year for his spawning programme. The expert at Bubbling Springs is Mr Barker's son, Paul, who learned the technique at the Silverstream hatchery at Kaiapoi. Together, the two entered a raceway, netted the fish and drafted them as males, females ready to spawn, or not ready. The males were then taken and forced to ejaculate their

semen, which was collected in a jar and kept cool in-ice. That completed; the female fish were taken from the water, knocked on the head and bled. Paul then opened each fish and the orange-coloured ova (about 4000 in each fish) slid into a bowl. Into this was splashed some artificial ovum fluid prepared by a Takaka chemist. This prolongs the life of the sperm, which is added to the ova by pipette ensuring almost 100 per cent fertilisation. . The fertilised ova is then

transferred to rearing buckets. through which runs the crystal-clear and constant 12 degree temperature waters of the Pu Pu springs. The fish should hatch within a month. In 14 ■ months they will be off to sea. and will eventually return, it is hoped. The spawning fish — any one of which would gladden the heart of any salmon fisherman — were unusable. “Dog tucker or fertiliser,” said Mr Barker, as yet another beautifully-marked salmon joined the pile destined to be dumped.