FUTURE OF ANGLING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15655, 25 June 1914, Page 8

FUTURE OF ANGLING.

PROVSSSOR PRINOE'S VIEWS. "TROUT/GREATLY IMPROVED" WASTE A OF POOD CRITICiSED. -Much attention has been given ( by Professor E, E. Prince, Canadian Commissioner of Fisheries, during t!i«,past few Weeks te the condition of the. trout, in the lakes and rivers of New. Zealand. Some ! of the conclusions at which ho has arrived were given by him last evening. " I have' examined, in all. the. principal lakes of both islands, a considerable number of specimens of the tout with which these waters have been stocked," Professor .Prince said, "and I shall have i some important recommendations to make |in regard to these fish. After an examinatvoa of actual specimens captured for my study, I am much more favourably impressed with the quality and general i condition of these fish than I had anticipated. I had heard some unfavourable reports in regard' to tho condition of tho fish in Lakes Taupo and Rotorua; other important waters but there seems some possibility that the maladies which have affected them in recent years have reached, their climox, and that the parasites and other affections will gradually be overcome, especially if some stringent measures, which" will be set forth in my report, are adopted. There seems to be no doubt, from tho investigations carried out by Dr. Reakca and Mr. Kerrigan, that the original source of trouble is a parasite, Whose original- host is the shag, and the war whioh has boon waged upon these birds has already had beneficial results."

Very Pew "Slabs" About,

About 200 brown and rainbow front wore examined by Professor Prince and Mr. Ayson at Rotorua on Monday.* "Tho proportion of fish in healthy, and prime condition was a feature particularly pleasing," said Professor Prince. ".The large proportion of slabs in catches by sportsmen and by Government officials when taking supplies of eggs for hatcheries has not been maintained. It is generally agreed that there has been a very great improvement in the quality of the fish, and this opinion was fully confirmed by actual examinations of re cent catches." Professor Prince explained that, among fish and animals, epidemics increase until a climax is reached, and then tho creatures affected acquire powers of resisting the inroads of tho epidemic, so that its unfavourable effects disappear, especially when means are taken to eradicate the sources of infection. New Food for Fish Advlsod. The supply of food for the trout in the lakes was the subject of careful inquiries by Professor Prince. The evidence gathered by him was somewhat contradictory. Some men of experience declared' that the kura (or crayfish), the inunga, and other small fish upon which I trout have flourished, are really still very plentiful, while many personsf"Jiave strongly contended that these sources of food have seriously doclined, and that the trout, in consequence, are poorly fed. "What over may be the truth in this matter," said Professor Prince, "there, is no doubt that tho introduction of some small varieties of fish which cannot in any wav be harmful would be of material benefit. The land-lonked smelt, which is a diminutive species, perfectly innocuous in its effect upon other fish, might bo a pood' ono to introduce. It is upon the land-locked smelt of East Cana- ' dian waters that the Ounnaniche, the splendid land-locked ralmon of Quebec and New Brunswick, maiiily feed." "More should be done by acclimatisation societies in their proper work of intraducing new varieties of fish," Profossor Princi added. As up instance of the results which could bo achieved, ho mentioned the i lioness gained by Mr. AySOtt in establishing quinnat salmon, ft fine sporting fish with excellent table qualities, in the Wa'iteki River. "Though they have done splendid work in former years, the societies have been \M active in the work of introducing new fish and in restocking waters with new supplies of imported fish." I Waste of Good Fish. [ The destruction.of large quantities of i trout oy the netting operations in Lake ; itotema was condemned by Professor : Prince. " A matter which seemed to me of special moment is tho destruction of so many tons of fine trout each year,'which migfit be used for food. Sixty tons of fish have been destroyed in the Rotorua Lakes in some years, and most of this quantity might have been utilised, for the flesn, *in a great many specimens, is nnt affected by parasites. Even those fish whioh aro slightly affected, would bo perfectly good food and innocuous after being cooked at a high temperature No doubt tho public is sensitive about foods which are not in every possible way healthy and clean,' Professor Prince remarked. "As a matter of fact, almost every fish that is used for tho teblo is affected by some parasites, but these aro killed and rendered luirmlees by the process of cooking."