ACCLIMATISATION

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 125, 31 May 1927, Page 4

ACCLIMATISATION

SOCIETY'S WORK FOR YEAR

THE ANNUAL REPORT

The report of tho Wellington Acclimatisation Society for the past year, to be presented at the annual meeting tonight, shows a busy year. Income totalled £5009, chiefly comprised of: Fishing licenses, £1308 3s; game licenses, £1359 8s; deer licenses £269 15s; opossum fees and royalties' (proportion of), £1770 19s; and fines.: £176 19s lOd. The sum of £813 17s 4d was transferred to the accumulated fund. Chief items rt expenditure wereBangers' Salaries and bonus, £624 10s 4d; rangers' expenses, £324 16s sd; secretary salary and bonus, £280; Masterton Pounds working account, £89111s 4d; game farm working account, £614 8s 8d; cartage and transport, £329 13s lOd; grants research fellowship, £400; rewards, £71 10s; purchase shags' and hawks' feet, £14 6s 9d. Fish valued at £837 and pheasants valued at £581 were distributed throughout the society's district during the year. DISTRIBUTION OF FBY. In view of the previous unsatisfactory results from the trapping of local rivers, and of the offer of unlimited brown trout ova at a reasonable price per 1000, the council decided to order 1,250,000 brown ova from the South- j land Acclimatisation Society, and 100----000 rainbow from Otago (Lake Hawea). From the brown «va 1,157,000 fry were reared, and distributed, and' 6230 yearlings were released, while 70,----000 rainbow fry were distributed and 4300 yearlings.

GRANT FOE PISCICUIiTTJBE. During the past year the council made a grant of £400 per annum for three years, the money to be expended in payment of the salary and expenses of a qualified research student whose duties will cover, in addition to. others, the examination of the society's waters, the fish in. them, and the food supply in sight. A committee consisting of two members of the Victoria University Council, and two members of the Acelinfatißation Council, with power to appoint two' experts in a consultative capacity, has been set up.' The first year's grant of £400 was paid over to the University College Council and applications from qualified persons invited. No appointment has, at the present time, been made, but in any case a beginning has been made* to solve' some more'or less important problem's. OPOSSUM SEASON, Fresh records were established in the 1926 opossum season, 437 licenses being issued, and'the total of- skins taken reaching 88,868. > -■•'■ : ; , Taking the Dominion season a8 a whole, about eleven thousand skins were taken in excess of tho li>2s total. From the coming season of 1927 the i dates, in the Wellington district, viz., 20th July to 31st August, are the same as for last year, it having been proved that, taken as a whole, the fur is in better condition over the above period. It is confidently anticipated that in the near future the ban upon the liberation of opossums will be lifted, in the case of isolated forest areas.

DEEK BHOOTIKO. Tho list of heads taken to 7th May is not as lengthy as in previous seasons owing to the partial elimination of some wairarapa country, but the quality of the heads is steadily improving owing to the drastic culling which has taken place, principally on the large holdings in the counties of Wairarapa. South and Feathereton. The best heads came from the Ohau country, tho best spreads from the Tiritea, and the greatest number from beyond Taihape. The daddy of them all was the twenty-pointer taken in the Ohau by Mr. G. G. Gapper, of Levin, but many others were good. At the closing of this report one hundred and sixty-three licenses had been issued having a net value of *317 17s. LOCAL FISHING SEASON. Details are given of the. local fishing season, which is characterised as depressing.