TOMAHAWK LAGOON

Evening Star, Issue 21714, 8 May 1934, Page 11

TOMAHAWK LAGOON

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY’S ACTIVITIES TROUT-STOCKING PROGRAMME The Acclimatisation Society last night received a petition signed by 110 anglers protesting against the society’s decision to discontinue putting stripped (ish in the Tomahawk Lagoon. It was contended that the argument that the fish deteriorated' in quality when put in the lagoon was not borne out by experience. It was stated at the mooting that the petitioners were mistaken in believing that the society had decided not to continue-to-place stripped fish in. the Tomahawk Lagoon. No alteration in the society's policy in that .direction had been considered,

• the Otago Anglers' Association wrote asking that the society should consider transferring '230 stripped trout up to 31b from the Leith to Tomahawk. Tho members of the association would undertake to return all tags to. the society. Mr S. H; Barnes submitted the following report on the question:—“ In the good times which followed the Great War there was a considerable increase in the number of license-holders and also a great increase in the amount of fishing done. This had the effect of reducing the number of takeable fish.in the Otago waters. This fact, and the diminishing' of the size 'of the rivers near Dunedin, caused many anglers to go to Tomahawk Lagoon for their sport, and to copo with this situation the society had adopted the course of transferring- trout from the Leith at the stripping season to Tomahawk. This • might appear to be a wise policy, but many complaints have been received r garding the quality of the fish, many of which ha've shown signs of disease and others loss of condition.

“ In an effort to prove the truth or otherwise of these complaints the device of ‘ tagging ’ was resorted to, and anglers were requested-to return Rigs and particulars of fish taken. This is the only reliable way of securing the desired information, but anglers have been slow to appreciate this, and the returns have been disappointing, In two years only fifteen tags have been returned—mostly from three or four anglers.' It was found in the cases reported that all the fish taken, with one exception,, had shown : a decided falling off in, condition. ’With the small amount of data available -it is unfair to make any definite conclusion about Hie matter. The society proposes to liberate a large number of tagged fish at Tomahawk this season, and it is hoped that better co-operation from anglers will he forthcoming.” * It was decided to reply to the petitioners stating that there was no intention to discontinue putting stripped trout- in the Tomahawk Lagoon, and to reply to the Anglers’ Association in terms of Mr Barnes’s report. Tt was also decided to embody Mr Barnes's report- in the annual report.