FISH OVA FOR NEW ZEALAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXVII, Issue 8148, 20 April 1887, Page 2

FISH OVA FOR NEW ZEALAND.

WELLINGTON, March 28. The Tongariro brought for distribution in Otago, Canterbury and W ellington a large quantity of salmon and trout ova. Included in the consignment were 12,000 Scotch ova, and 100 000 Rhine ova. The former have arrived in excellent condition, bu(r the latter have come to hand in rather bad order. The Scotch ova is for the Otago Acclimatisation Society, and the Rhine ova will be placed partly in the Maaterton ponds, and partly in the Christchurch hatcheries. In addition to the ova mentioned, there are 40,000 Loch Leven trout ova, 250,000 Rhine Brook; trout, 256,000 Alpine Char, and 25,000 Carpion trout ova. The whole of the trout consignment is to be divided between Masterton and Christchurch. The Hinemoa will leave with the Christchurch portion of the consignment this evening. The trout ova has only turned out fairly well. By the Government s.s. Hinemoa, which arrived at Lyttelton on March 29, the ? Acclimatisation Society received two cases of ova, part of the shipment brought to the Colony by the B.M.S. Tongariro. One of the cases comes from Germany, and the other from Scotland, and they contained, between them, upwards of 100,000 ova. They did not, however, contain that quantity when opened at the Society’s gardens on March 29, and the members of the Society have not very much reason to congratulate themselves oti the prize they have obtained —in the German .case, at all events. This case, according ly a letter which Mr Farr received from the Marine Department, contained the following ova : Rhine salmon, 12,000 Rhine Brook trout, 12,000 Alpine char, 12,000 Carpione trout. Owing to the defective packing, about 90 per cent of the ova was found to have been destroyed. The case, it may be explained, is about 4ft 6in square, fitted with sliding trays containing alternate ova and ice. The ova were laid on a frame composed of a kind of loose scrim stretched upon wooden battens. Above the ova was a layer of moss, and above that again another frame of scrim. The melting of the ice wetting the scrim and moss caused the former to " sag ” in the centre and to crush the ova lying underneath. The consequence was that, with the exception of a few eggs round the edges of the trays, the wholeof the ova was reduced almost to a pulp. At theAcclimatisation Gardens it was carefully sorted and washed, and those eggs which showed signs of life were placed in the hatching boxes. The writer of the letter from the Department before alluded to, stated that he had not received any intimation as to what kinds of ova were in the different trays, and suggested that it would be desirable to pldue the contents of each tray in a different patching box, the boxes being marked. This obvious matter of detail was, as a matter of 'course, attended to. He also seated that the Carpione trout is said to be found the Lago di Garda, and is celebrated fine flavour. The other case contained 20,000 ova, 2200 of them being Tweed salmon, and the remainder Loch Leven trout ova. These came from the hatchery of Sir James Maitland, at Howietown, near Stirling. The contents of this case were in admirable condition, the percentage of less among the salmon not being more than eight or nine, and among the trout about ten. Mr Farr went down to Lyttelton in the morning to receive the cases, which were sent on to Christchurch by the two o’clock train.