ACCLIMATISATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 20 September 1923, Page 3

ACCLIMATISATION

GREY SOCIETY’S REPORT. The following annual report of the Grey Acclimatisation Society will bo presented at the annual meeting on Monday next:—Your Council has pleasure in submitting for your approval its annual report and statement of inteome and expenditure, with balance-sheet for tho year ended August 31, 1923. Finance. —The revenue for the ye?amounted to £219 Is 3d, being an increase of £BB Is 2d over that of the previous year, while the expenditure was £245 Os 9d or £lO Ils 3d less than the year before. Assets this year exceed recorded liabilities by £262 9s 6d, as compared with £254 16s 6d last year. Considerable additional liability has been incurred in' connection with the services of a ranger, but it is anticipated that this will be more than covered by the intoreased income from opossum licenses and royalties. Licenses. —The position as regards licenses is as follows : —

While it is regretted that a number of ladies and boys have apparently given up the gentle art, the increase in full season ashing licenses is eminently satsfactory. As separate 10s licenses are now issued for Native and imported game respectively, it should be noted that twenty-nine 10s licenses were issued this year against 26 £1 licenses last year, when one license included both Native and imported game. Gross value of licenses issued during Lie year totalled over £6O more than last, despite a decrease in the revenue from game licenses, while the number is nearly double that of three years

Fishing.—So far, there are no known instances of the qiiinnat salmon appearing in the local waters, and the following notes have reference to trout only.

Grey.—Sport in this river was uniformly good throughout the some weighty baskets of well conditioned fish having been taken, although there is no record of the capture of any fish of more than 141 b weight. > Ahaura. —Fishing on this river was more or less indifferent throughout the season, many reaches showing no signs of fish. Nelson Creek. —Some good catches are reported to have been made on. this stream, the fish being well up to the usual average.

Lake Brunner.—Trolling parties are believed to have experienced fair sport during the early part of the season. Arnold River.—Good sport has been the experience of those who have tried this river.

New River. —Good sporting fish were reported to be plentiful in this stream. Teremakau. —The lower reaches of this fine river yielded good results, although there is no record of any unusually heavy fish being landed. Fish Culture. —No stocking was done during the year, as it was considered advisable to give more attention to conserving the existing stock. During the previous four years about one million fry have been liberated, and if the wanton illegal destruction of fish can be stopped, there is no reason) why additional stocking should be necessary. Game and Deer Shotin g. —Scanty information has been received, but it is gathered that ducks and hares have been plentiful and that deer have not been in as good condition as formerly. The Council were unable to induce the Government to grant an open season for pigeons last season, but the indiscriminate and illegal destruction of this bird is still continuing throughout the year.

Opossums.—Twenty-five licenses were issued, and it is understood that the season was very satisfactory, and resulted in some thousands of slFins'being taken. A buyer of opossum skins was convicted on the Ranger’s evidence on a charge of purchasing skins, without having taken out a broker’s license, and was fined £5, in addition to having 192 skins confiscated. Shags.—Three shillings a head was

offered during part of the year for shags’ heads, the result being that 138 were purchased at a cost of £2O 12s, as compared with 102 last year at a cost of £lO 4s.

Poaching.—A ranger has been employed at intervals in the district, and although no direct results in the shape of convictions for poaching were obtained, there is no doubt but that the mere fact that a ranger is occasionally in the district has a restraining effect on poaching, and it is to be hoped that his efforts during the coming season will have the same result. In a thinly populated district like this, it is a hard matter to check poaching, and all sportsmen should unite in not only setting an example themselves, but in doing all in their power to prevent the wholesale destruction of game of all descriptions that is being carried on in and out of season. Through the efforts of tho Council, the Grey District Regulations of 1908 have been amended and the minimum penalty for taking fish out of season, or dynamiting, is now £lO, instead of £2 as formerly was the case.

Rangers. —There are now fourteen honorary rangers in this district, and the Society owes its thanks to these gentlemen for what they have done during the past year. Information likely to lead to the detection of poaching, more especially thejjestruction of trout by dynamite or the taking of trout out of season, would be appreciated if given either to the Secretary or the Society’s ranger, and would be in all cases regarded as strictly confidential.

Meetings.—Meetings of your Council were held at frequent intervals, the average attendance being a sufficient indication of the interest taken by members towards furthering the interests of the Society. The Council requests holders of licenses in future to assist in the preparaton of annual reports, by supplying the Secretary with particulars at the close of the season about the sport obtained, districts visited, or any other informal ion of general interest. If this were done it would be possible to produce more interesting and comprehensive reports. Information from opossum trappers would be much appreciated. Tn compliance with the rules of the Society, \<mr Council now retires from office.

CD to to to OJ co to to to 51 d Cfl P Fishing. Whole .season ... 115 91 24 Half season 8 7 1 Ladies and boys 38 49 11 Weekly 6 20 14 Total 167 167 25 14 Native and import ed game 29 26 3 Deer, red arid fallow 7 6 1 Opossums 25 4 21 Grand totals ... 228 203 50 25