TROUT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10538, 15 March 1920, Page 6

TROUT

MYSTERY SOLVED TOO MANY FISH AND NOT ENOUGH FOOD. Dr R. J TUlyard, D.S.C., M.A., tho well-known Australian entomologist, who camo to New Zealand some five months ago to investigate and report to the Government upon the condition of the trout fisheries at Rotorua and Taupo, was interviewed by a “Times’’ reporter on the ovo oi his uepartunu for Australia. Dr TUlyard, who, after his researches nt Taupo and Rotorua, gave a number of interesting lectures on tno results of the same, and on fossil insects and other subjects before tho Wellington Philosophical Society, loft later for tho South Island, intending to return to the North Island and make further investigations in regard to tho trout fisheries. His plans, however, had to bo changed, owing to circumstances which had since arisen.

“i went down to the South Island," said Dr Tillyard, “and carried out a lot of scientific investigations there, and gave lectures in Christchurch and Dunedin, also attending the university celebrations in the latter city. Then I camo back to Nelson and lectured there, and was offered by the Cawthron trustees the position of biologist to tbe instltulu, which ) have accepted." This completely altered the course of events; and following on that the New Zealand Government appointed him as its official representative to attend the Imperial Conference of Economic Entomologists, to open in London on June Ist, and also tho Pan-Pacific Science Conference at Honolulu, in August; so he left Wellington to join the Orontes at Sydney and proceed in her to London. “I shall return across America to Honolulu," continued Dr Tillyard. "and hops to bo back to settle permanently with my wife and family in Nelson towards the end of the year. lam to do a considerable amount of work also for the Cawthron Institute while on the trip, chiefly the jmrehase of necessary books and apparatus. “I found it impossible to undertake the return trip to Rotorua aud Taupo, as I had intended, so my report on trout food, etc., had to be drawn up on the results of my single trip in tho spring. The report has now been completed aud was sent in to the Minister on Thursday. 1 cannot, of course, go into the details of it at all; but I have his permission to state that the burden ot the report will be contained in the words —“Too many fish, too little, food." That is the main thing, though it has nob been noticed by many people; and I am suggesting remedies.’’ Details ot the new species discovered, and the more technical part of the report, are to be written up later and presented as a scientific paper.