TROUT EXTERMINATED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17294, 18 October 1919, Page 13

TROUT EXTERMINATED.

DROUGHT AND CORMORANTS. NEW SOUTH WALES RIVERS. Th« last tront fishing season in New South Wales proved the most unsatisfactory so far experienced by anglers, anil this was shown to be fairly general in the various districts where the introduced trout have been thoroughly acclimatised, says a writer in the Sydney

' I Morning Herald. Drought conditions proI vailed, and many streams hitherto tini known to -ease flowing were dry for miles " I along their courses, except at intervals, where deep waterholes occur. The only i trout left in such streams would be the forI tunate few thai escaped from the shallows ' | before it was too late. | Incidental to the drought came great > | flocks of cormorants, attracted by the 5 | shallow statu of the rivers, where the J I trout became their easy prey. Anglers i affirm that these buds have in many cases ' ! practically exterminated the trout, which , j had taken so many years to establish, in ! practically ever} suitable stream in the ' ! State. It was found in many of the ' streams that the trout were excessively * lean and lanky —mere skin and bone— ' with, apparently, exaggerated head and tail. Tins is attributed to the fact that | the trout were afraid to leave their bidj ing places in the daytime to search tor 1 'food, owing to the ever-vigilant cormorant, 3 ; who missed tiu opportunity to secure a 1 I savoury meal. and woe betide he hungry -> I fish who "took the risk," and went foragI ing in the open before the birds had gone j to roost. An angler from the Murrumhidgeo River, at Uabrainatta, who fished the " river consistently lot- miles above and * ! below that place, reported that while it 9 was formerly easy to capture a couple of 3 ! dozen nice trout up to ljib in weight, with ' I an occasional fish of larger size, it became extremely difficult at Christmas time to ' catch sufficient trout for a meal, his party 9 of four lauding only about 20 fish through- ? out their week's holiday. 1 Fishing over the same length of river early in January, thousands of trout could 1 I be seen at sundown every evening greedily •' slicking in the countless ephemeridae that ' hovered over and settled on the water. 0 Now there is no such evening rise—the insects are there as before--but no trout ft | to eat them, and one is almost surprised 0 ! to see a trout break the surface of the water. < nrmorants are blamed for this; 1 ' the indictment is undoubtedly justified. 0 i Another angler who spent his holiday on 1 ■the i;no.'lrad:ghce. at Hrindella. found that '" ; the glory had departed from that stream. ° and in reache.- where he bad leen accus- ' 1 tomed for \ears past to rind as much '•'sport a- desired, it was quite exceptional " i to -ci- the movement of a trout, and very : I few were being ■ alight there. Cormorants | were again \t-iv ininierou". and takin--' 1 bea\\ t I;. and the. dialer was so low and clear that the li;-h had no chance against them. The effect of the. drought was not I so ii"!..' <•,■.!>'.<• in the Snowy River and its tributatie- .is in rre>s', other trout waters. I but lie river ran low. with water clear „ ' .1,- ii-ystal, consequently the trout were ■ ►s.-i -Mvely .by. Ihe run of trout caught '" < wa> declared to be bett>r than last season, "' ; but the number l.uoi j'tit, to grass was corn's .' jmi atively few. ii , I ii.-appoin! inent ex pi esses the feelings of (l ■Pi vfr.i! ang'ers »ho i-pei the vacation en "'■ the )'..ii_-i Hive:. A_'iin the water? were. -"•'low and the trout si > . and apparently "-' ! verv -cane A ri-«id"i:i an.' ! reported »- ' that the g:ie.,|.be\an liiUT yielded le.-s 0' sport in-- - .•.,..,, liem ever f.,re. while "•- • ■ -ii r.r.-uitf were lb. r, in ft 1;., A few '-" •..■;,•-■ v -,, :t -i- nothing out ■: the way l" t" ea|.'.:re three -r t'.-ur troll! of slh or he r,~.f\ wit.ti tie .-ha---" of temft.iri2 nim-b •n : '..-_•.•!■ ii«f. I Io- l-ir/est . au-ht last sea ■,v ' -ci was o.ily 7iib. and few o n P. anjiroaehed .r. ' that mod--! weight The fhai'.iw head he, i waters ot ,-j.me streams in Tlimut district it. I rease.l to flow. and the mortality anion; , P , ; t.mit then- mil.-l have Keen severe, as he 1 there VI, sno scape f,. r the fisb t;.^,<l he ' catches of tl ,'lt. were made ; n the Three ~ Mile ,nd Light Mile dam- near Kiandra.. ~,, KeascriaMe s[M.rt ,i,,. e'ljnyw) in the 7i *f uimit, and I ioobarairnndr i rivers; again r( 'the inn of ti-li was sma'ier thro, in recent. ~,- I previous u',n«. In the l (heron district the ," r | drought able -■~,.,..)..,| i>> e .inn rants, ' . destroyed a great men trout Fair sport, | .... .=. enjioed early in the se,i-,-.r and pi" . bahlv the large.l' trout of the season. -aid "' Ito have sealed 7J,ib. was l.d, from the "' ' Pi.'kmaloi rtiv'-i. In the I ugh™ River " 1 tlieie in- a ni' " Mil, ..f t ".in of about ' '■ I 1':l, Fair -port v.-a.- a.Uo enjoved in the, h '" ! I,'ni ai d ('an.ph. II riv.-ix I' ' I |. i- -i m apparent that mi), h restock '•' I i„g ~f the' sadly depleted i iver.- will be | ne e.-:-.o . . .inn «onie year- must elapse, "" I even if coed «ea.«on.« ire experienced, be I fore the li.-hit'g m 'he Strife will again I de«er-.e its erstwhile "\ce!lent reputation. , I —— : *r=-r:

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