SALMON IN EMBRYO.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLV, Issue 64, 16 March 1911, Page 6

SALMON IN EMBRYO.

A SUCCESSFUL SHIPMENT.

A shipment of a million salmon ova arrived by the Ruahine from London on Saturday in almost perfect condition (states The Post). The eggs are of the true salmo salar or Atlantic salmon, a truly noble fish considered from any point of view. Their, condition hardly needs qualification, for the percentage of mortality is extremely slight. Part of the ova is from the British river Wye, and part from the German Rhine. Of these one per cent, of the English eggs only have been lost, and of the German four per cent. In the older days of salmon ova transport by sea 40 per cent, loss was usually looked for. This' consignment has been brought out by Mr C. L. Ayson, manager of the Government hatchery at Hakatarfimea. -The fry ' when "hatched-'''will be liberated in- the Waiau River. . A representative of The Post saw the fish that are to be in their boxes. They are there packed in shallow trays covered with a cloth, itself covered with a mossy fibre, and there is buy oneAlayer of ova to the tray. The eggs were about 3-16 th of an inch in diameter, and salmon colored. They each had two tiny black specks which are the eyes. Dead eggs declare themselves by turning white. There were no dead eggs seen. The German ova was somewhat more highly colored" than the English, being slightly more advanced in age. It would seem that the utmost care and exact" piscicultural knowledge require to be exercised in the bringing out of the ova. They have to be "fed" with chilled fresh water daily;

i'rom this water they derive such sustenance as they need. The topmost trays of eggs would extract most of the nutriment from the water if they were fed first every time. In order to avoid this inequality of treatment the trays are reversed every day ; so that, all the eggs have the same chance.

Then the trays have to be constantly watched for dead eggs and such at once removed, so that it will be seen that their oversight for some six or eight weeks is no sinecure. As a. matter of fact the ova was shut lout by the Corinthic,-and had to wait I a fortnight .in London. Then the arrival of the eggs was delayed some five days in the Canary Islands through the accident to the Ruahine at Las Palmas. However/ no time will be lost in Wellington for they left for the South on Saturday night. On the Buahine the egg boxes are carried in a special cool chamber, the temperature of which is kept to the fraction of a degree. Ice in the ova 'boxtes- is of vital necessity, i and an. ample supply of it was.available throughout the passage. JSte ,Ayson is naturally pleased with the successful arrival of the shipment, and is looking forward to their safe _ and final arrival at the hatchery. Mr L. P. Avson, Chief Inspector of fisheries, will supervise the transport ot the ova. W He met the Ruahine on arrival. ..