NO DIFFERENCE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 257, 27 September 1935, Page 13

NO DIFFERENCE.

TROUT IN WAIKATO. RUNNING IN FROM THE SEA

The intention of the Government to send to Washington two kinds of rainbow trout caught in Lake Alexandria tor the purpose of deciding whether they were two distinct kinds of fish, the rainbow trout and the steelhead salmon, was commented upon by Mr C. Whitney, of Auckland,- who has made a long study of the subject. He said that the Washington authorities would wonder why it had been suggested that the rainbow and the steelhead were not the same fish, as the only difference was that one went to sea when it could get there —and the other did not, says the Star. EFFECT OF PUMICE AND SAND. Mr Whitney said that many erroneous statements had been made on the subject. llie reason why rainbow trout fishing was so poor in the Waikato River between Hamilton and the heads had been carefully investigated, and it was found that the trouble was that that portion of the river carried a large amount of pumice and sand, the trouble of late years having been accentuated by the work carried out. at Arapuni. There were certain places where the silt hardened, where small streams joined the river, and it was found that there was a resting place for the sea-run rainbow, the same fish that was called in California the steelhead salmon. These fish had been running in from the sea for a number of years, and specimens had been caugjit. At the end of the 1933 season a H6lb sea-run rainbow was caught at Huntly. The sea - run rainbow did not stay in the river between Hamilton and the sea, because of the moving sand and pumice, nor did they spawn there. Mr Whitney said that extensive stocking of ail the streams running into the Waikato might provide more trout which would stay in the best spots in the river and assist in stocking the river and streams above Ngaruawahia. Sea-run rainbow had been running in the Waimana, Rangitiki, Whakatane and Tarawera Rivers for years. In the lakes at Taupo, Rotorua and the South Island the steelhead and the rainbow were side by side, and spawned at the same time of the year as they did in California. The steelheads went to sea after spawning, and the fresh water rainbow remained behind. There was ample evidence that the two kinds of fish were the same specimen, but the steelhead was not so brilliantly marked as the fresh water rainbow. IMPORTED FROM CALIFORNIA.

Mr Whitney recalled that in 1883 a large quantity of rainbow trout ova was taken from both the fresh water and stcelhead salmon spawning on the same ground in California, and reared to mature fish in Auckland. The stock was then liberated and no more steelhead or rainbow were imported until the trout at Rotorua began to deteriorate. Tho only other importation of rainbow and steelhead ova was by the Auckland Acclimatisation Society four or five years ago.