FISH RESEARCH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22740, 28 May 1937, Page 9

FISH RESEARCH

FEES FROM ANGLERS DETERIORATION OF TROUT ' NEW ZEALAND NOT ALONE The increase in fees for fishing licences was discussed by Mr. James Robertson at the annual meeting bf the Southland Acclimatisation Society" this week. The Government, he said, had given effect to the increased licence fee, but had made it payable to the Marine Department for research. In effect, the Government had taken the Central Research Committee out of the hands of the societies. "While, as a member of the Southland society, I regret that the Government has taken over the Research Committee," said Mr. Robertson, "I feel that some societies were so critical of or antagonistic to the -work of the committee and so niggardly in their support of it that the future of research would be jeopardised if left to their control. Their licence holders now contribute 2s 6d each to the research funds and have no control over it's expenditure. Had they had sufficient foresight to support the Research Committee loyally they would probably still controlling it. "When the matter of establishing the committee was first mooted there was one matter on which all societies were in agreement, namely, that the trout fishing was deterioi'ating L all over New Zealand. On the reasons for this deterioration there was no possibility of agreement; every angler had his own theory and could advance plausible f arguments to support it. The same problem is confronting the anglers in Great Britain and the United States, and research workers have been working on these problems in those countries. "Speaking personally and after many years of listening to various theories on angling matters and observations on the rivers," Mr. Robertson concluded, "1 have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for an average angler to assess correctly all the reasons for the decline in trout fishing. I have read practically all the literature available, and in my opinion the subject- is so complex and many sided that it- takes years of intensive study by experts to arrive at correct conclusions."

POLLUTION OF STEEAMS PREVENTIVE STEPS NEEDED In New Zealand it seemed to be nobody's business to prevent the pollution of rivers, said Mr. James Eobertson at the annual meeting of the Southland Acclimatisation Society this week. The only exceptions arose when a private person could prove damage and took private proceedings, or when trout were killed and acclimatisation societies took action.

Mr. Robertson gave the Mataura River as an example of the seriousness of river pollution. ' 'lt is common knowledge among anglers that two towns on its bank discharge the wholp of their raw sewage directly into this stream," he said "Some dairy factories, sa,wmills and sheep dips and fellmongeries are also serious sources of pollution. "During the years of the depression industries complained that the methods to combat pollution were too costly and would ruin the industry. It must be pointed out, however, that certain factories do not pollute streams-, while their competitors do.

"In the older industrial countries pollution is the greatest enemy of the angler. Hundreds of streams in America and Britain which were excellent trout streams 50 years ago now contain not a single trout, because of pollution. This state of affairs arose from the indifference of the public and the matter has now beoome a national problem.' 1