Goldfish breeder strikes snags

Press, 19 December 1986, Page 3

Goldfish breeder strikes snags

A goldfish breeder appealed to the Paparua County Council’s townplanning committee yesterday for permission to scale down his business. In 1981, the council gave Mr Bruce McDonald permission to set up a goldfish breeding business at West Melton. This permission depended upon Mr McDonald building up to 12 growing ponds and one wintering pond for the fish within two years. Mr McDonald has not managed to do that, and yesterday wanted the council to change the conditions, to his building only two growing ponds. He also hoped the council would not prosecute him for failing to meet the original conditions. A “series of disasters” with pond-lining material had struck as he tried to set up the business, Mr McDonald told the council. Experts had told him not to line goldfish ponds with concrete as the lime in the cement would kill the fish. Black polythene was not practical, and so he had tried a commercial roofing product. “This proved disastrous, as it caused a chemical reaction when filled with water,” he said. “It killed all but a few of our breeding stock and set us back in our breeding programme by at least one year.” Experience had also proved that the fish did not require as much space as he had first thought, so 12 growing ponds were not needed. Two growing ponds, with 10 breeding ponds, were what was required, he said. Mr McDonald has about 40 breeding fish, and given a good season, estimated that he could get up to 12,000 goldfish from these. Cr Jim Baker said that while he sympathised with Mr McDonald’s problems, he was not convinced that the venture was any further advanced than in 1981. The council reserved decision.