FOOD FOR TROUT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23507, 18 November 1939, Page 8

FOOD FOR TROUT

[ ENGLISH WATER SNAILS | INVESTIGATION OF HABITS .v . >4 £by telegraph—owx correspondent] WELLINGTON, Friday A report by Mr. W. J. Phillipps, of "the* Dominion Museum, on his observations of the breeding habits of the English water snail as acclimatised :in New Zealand was read at a meeting of the council of the Wellington '.Acclimatisation Society. Mr. Phillipps suggested that if liberated snails would help materially to solve the problem of food for trout.

Mr. Phillipps said he had visited Foxton, where the water snails were still living, and had also made four visits to Masterton. Young water snails from Foxton had been placed in the head waters of races supplying the hatchery, and, although, so far, no snails had been taken, eggs had been secured, showing that those snails had at least arrived at maturity.

- For the past six months ho had retained adult water snails in an aquarium in the Dominion Museum. They had proved to be extremely hardy and began to spawn early in July of this year. Each snail had laid approximately 100 eggs inside a gelatinous capsule one and a-lialf inches long. The eggs hatched out in approximately six weeks, and every snail appeared to Hatch, although a number died after hatching. /

Mr. Phillipps said lie had been successful in rearing a considerable number of snails to semi-adult condition. Some 60 specimens had been taken to New Plymouth on October 21 and liberated in a pond on city council property; a capsule of eggs bad also been placed in the same pond. "1 am hoping that tbis water snail trill, in part, solve the problem of feeding trout in all quiet streams and inland or enclosed waters," said M*v Phillipps. "In tbis connection, tho species has been found to bo invaluable in the British Isles. One water snail appears to be able to produce at least. 1000 eggs inside a few months, so that their annual increase is phenomenal."