ACCLIMATISATION' SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 11693, 26 September 1902, Page 5

ACCLIMATISATION' SOCIETY.

Tho ordinary meeting of the Otago Acclimatisation Society was held this afternoon ; present—Messrs A. C. Begg (in the chair), S.. M'Dona’.d, R. Ti Wheeler, jun., 0. R. D. Richardson, Al C. Stronach, J. Edgar, A. E. Farquhar," F. Deans, D. Russell (secretary), T. Brown, R. Chisholm, J. Roberts, J. S. Thomson. Mr Deans’s report, which was carried, ■ stated that the past month bad been a busy one in connccdon with (he spawn.ng of rtock fish, the ova and haiching operations. The Loch Leven and Scotch burn trout were nearly all hatched, and the brown trout were hatching last, and had every appearance of being strong and healthy. ’lhe total number of ova obtained at both hatcheries up to date was 859,530, made up as follows:—Brown trout, 372,000; Loch Leven trout, i94,C00; Scotch bum tiouc, 91,000; brook trout, 50,000; rainbows, 160,000; and salmon, 12,500. The total number laid down at the Clinton hatchery was 581,600. A case containing 5,000 nunbow ova had been forwarded to Ceylon, India, and another 15,000 lo Perth (W.A.), and orders for 95,000 ra.nbow ova wofe still on hand. Tbe var.ous woiks at C.intou hatchery were finished. The report urges angiers not to be too eager to get on to the rivers on the first, as the large amount of snow on the high country wou.d keep the streams up and cold ior tome time. The chairman thought the report satisfactory. A circular was received irom ihe Canterbury society asking if Otago wouid send a delegate to the proposed conterence of societies for the purpose of discussing the advisability of forming an AcciimatLation Association for the whole of Neiv Zealand, or for the North and South Islands. —1c was decided to appoint Mr Begg, the chairman, as delegate. The Chairman said, in reference to the society’s protest a.amst Mr A. R. Barclay’s proposed clause in the Fisheries Conservation Bid, that some rep ies had come in. Mr T. Mackenzie said that he would <pSose the clause wuh ail his heart. Mr ames Allen said he had seen Sir J. G. Ward, who would bring on the Bill as soon as possible. Mr J. A. Millar said he would give the matter careful cons.deration when the Bill came before the Ho..se. Sir J. G. Ward had replied that be would give the matter his consiutrat.on. Mr A. R. Barclay wrote al some length a letter which was to tbe effect that his clause bad been misunderstood and misrepresented. The Chairman spoke strongly against an article which appeared in yesterday’s issue of our morning contemporary in reference to sea fisheries and sea trout. He had no doubt the article was well intended, bat it showed great ignorance of the subject. In one place it said : “ Such a delicate fish as the trout is almost certain to be so seriously vinjured as to make its chances of hving thereafter exceedingly prnblema.icul.” This after being netted'. He thought everyone knew that the trout was a very hardy fish. The most ab.-urd part of the article was that which said : “It is a moot point whether the larre trout found in the river estuaries and coastal waters return lo the rivers to breed or not. Their silvery appearance and the color of their flesh teem to favor the theory that they have oe*|mo- sea trout, and consequently range dp and clown the coast. At any rate, no rimi’.ur fish are caught at any distance from the sea in fresh water, which seems to prove that these fish, having acquired a salt-water hab’t, eschew their natal element. If so. an ocean-going breed will be established, and it would be a pity that such a really fine food fish,shor’d be entirely neglected out of deference to mistaken' ideas tonc-eming the usual habitat of these large trout. If it could be shown that they ascend the rivers to spawn, that circumstance Would point to the desirability of a close teas on—nothing more—but it has by to means b-m estab’ishc-d that these fi;h io visit the fresh-water rivers to spawn.” The Chairman pointed out that as all mglers knew trout and fish of that species must spawn in fresh water, and could not possibly become a thoroughly seagoing fish. If fixed nets were allowed in the vicinity of, the mouths of rivers it would be very dangerous, as it was well strewn that the (Fh going from the rivers kept along the shore, and would thus get Entangled in, the nets. There might not be so much objection to drift nets if thev could be controlled in such a way as (o prevent ab”ses. Ten replies to their circular had come in from various societies, vTho said they objected to any such permission being given for the use of drift nets more than a mile course, in tho face of this preponderance of opinion they could do robing. He thcuvht that the Southland society would probably take actien in connection with tho lame haul of fish recently F ken nt Invercamill, to see what they con'd do in the way of stopping netting, 'if they could not stop it, something would hj ve to In done, possibly in the way of lega’is’ng it on payment of a fee. If netting was legalised it would only be in the way of dri t nets to be used at considerable' disiance from the mouths of rivers. The arguments in the article ref rred to were utterly absurd to anyone who knew anything rbout trout. The article woti’d probably be circulated through the country, and : t was as well that tlry as a so iety shou’d express their opinion about it. ’ Mr Chisholm thought that the article was a strong argument in favor of the Free Public library scheme, as it would be w<>!l that fishmg IFerature fhnuld be brought within tbe reach of editors.