LAND AND WATER.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4734, 16 August 1902, Page 7 (Supplement)

LAND AND WATER.

(By Dalbiac.)

The fishing rights case, which was hoard by five Judges in Wellington the other day, is one of the greatest importance to anglers and to acclimatization societies. Although the general public, and particularly the dilettante angler, will not find much fault with the judgment, which grants to an owner of land the right to delegate to others fishing powers in the stioams of his proporty, the real sportsman and the acclimatisation societies will feel greatly aggrieved. The ioit now is that the acclimatisation societies have practically no protection for tho rivers of the colony, which arc almost entirely stocked by them. The result will almost certainly be detrimental to the interests of fishing. As this is practically a final decision on the point, the acclimatisation societies have no course left open to them, unless they are willing to be powerless, but to move for an amendment of tho law. Unless that is effected, I should think it would ho rather unsatisfactory to continue expending money in stocking streams with fish for the benefit of either the irresponsible angler or the landholder himself. The shooting on Lake Ellesmere was good during the last month of tho season just closed. On the last day a party of throe shot 80 duck, and another party of five shot 50. Mr A. E. Birdiing, of Birdliug’s Flat, secured 126 duck and two swan on the last two days. Generally speaking, ducks were scarce on tho lake.

Captain Hamilton’s fish hatchery at Tiratu, near Dannevirke. has been a particularly successful establishment, and has done much towards stocking tho Manawatu river during tho last season or two. Tho society has now presented Captain Hamilton with ten thousand trout ova from tho Mastorton ponds. These will bo kept in streams adjoining tho Tiratu hatchery until they are as near as possible to a year old, before being liberated. Tho Deputy-Superintendent of the Indian Museum at Calcutta has stated his intention of forwarding to a gentleman in Otago two dozen Pekin robins, which he states would be au acquisition to tho colony and quite harmless. Permission to import tho birds has been asked of the Minister for Agriculture, and tho department has in turn referred tho matter for an opinion to tho Otago Acclimatisation Society. If tho acclimatisation of the Pekin robin is successful, the Deputy-Superintendent ,ot tho Calcutta Muse—n is willing to send at his own expense several other birds which ho believes would suit the climate of New Zealand.

Early in July, while tho Ringarooma was cruising in the Sounds, she touched at White Island, near the Brothers, where a fair-sized colony of carrunculated shags was found to be established. There were about twenty pairs of the birds, and the visitors woro surprised to find that they were breeding; although the season was tho middle of winter. The Governor captured several of the birds. One lias been presented to tho Colonial Museum, and two have been prepared to bo sent Homo to the British Museum.

. The comparative failure of tho spawning operations at tho Masterton ponds for the past few years has caused several of the provincial sub-committees some resentment. Tho Pahjatua subcommittee made a complaint that it was not getting its fair share of fry, but figures showed that since 1887 over a million Rainbow and brown trout fry, representing a value of at least £llOO, had boon liberated in the streams of that district. This year bhe spawning at Masterton has been more successful, and 160,000 fry have already been liberated in tho Manawatu and its tributaries.