SALMON FOR ANGLERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15645, 26 June 1914, Page 8

SALMON FOR ANGLERS

THE WAIKATO UNSUITABLE.

POSSIBLE EXPERIMENTS.

The possibility of stocking the Waikato River or some other stream in the Auckland district with quinnat salmon has been suggested by the remarks made by Prof. E. E. Prince regarding the splendid sporting qualities of the fish and the success achieved by Sir. Avson in introducing it in the South Island. A special study has been mafle by Mr. Ayson of' tho quinnat salmon, and he was asked yesterday whether similar results could bo obtained in the North Island.

This fine game fish was established in the Waitaki River by continually stocking the tributary streams {or eix years. Since then quinnat salmon have been taken by anglers in the Opihi, Rangitata, and Rakaia Rivers, netted by fishermen in Caroline Bay, Timaru, and caught with hook and line at Oamaru. Judging from this distribution of the fish along the east coast of Canterbury that tho "quinnat has been thoroughly acclimatised there, Mr. Ayson is now trader-taking the stocking of the Hokitika River.

''The rivers of the South Island arc much better suited to the quinnat salmon than any of those iff the North Island." said Mr. sod. '•'Die snow-fed rivers correspond more nearly with those of the Pacific coast of North America from which these fish originate. I doubt very much whether the head waters of the Waikato River would be suitablt The Huka Falls would be a serious obstacle to any attempt to stock the river with salmon. Possibly when the fish has been established in tho South Island we ni£y make gome experiments with a view to determining whether any of the North Island rivers can be stocked with quinnat-"