STRANDED TROUT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21297, 26 September 1932, Page 11

STRANDED TROUT

EFFECTS OF DRY SPELL NELSON RIVERS BECOME DRY FISH REMOVED TO LAKE The protracted dry spell of the last two or three months in Nelson lial had a marked effect on the flow of some of the rivers in the district and in consequence the Nelson Acclimatisation Society has had to incur a considerable expense in having the stranded trout removed from the fast-drying pools in riverbeds to where tho water was running, or to a lake, as the case may lie. Tho D'Urville River, at (he head of Lake Rotoroa, dried up for a mile and one-half from the mouth, with the exception of a series of pools in which thousands of trout were stranded. Mr. H. Flower, of Lake House, undertook to have these fish removed to the lake. After several trips to the river, and assisted by a number of helpers, ho succeeded in liberating from 10,000 to 12,000 trout ranging from four to five inches in length to 101b. to 121b. in weight. The work involved in carrying this number of fish in cans for distances over a mile on the rough riverbed was very strenuous. The Sabine River, which flows into the lake within two miles of the D'Urville, is not so subject, to drought as the latter river, and Mr. Flower reports that the trout were spawning in large numbers for miles up this river. They are practically all rainbow, as were tho bulk of those taken from the D'Urville, a fact which augurs well for the future fishing at Lake Rotoroa.

The hatchery in Nelson is working well this season and eight new boxes have been added to those of last year. At present there are 120,000 rainbow fry being fed, while the bulk of 250,000 brown trout are hatched out, and, with from 300,000 to 400,000 brown trout ova from the Rotoiti hatchery which are due to arrive in a few weeks, the hatchery will bo taxed to its full capacity.