THE SALMON OVA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 827, 15 August 1864, Page 6

THE SALMON OVA.

We are indebted to the Melbourne Age for the following abridgment of the " Report of the Commissioners appointed1 to conduct the experiment of introducing Salmon into the Rivers of Tasmania." To His Excellency Colonel Thomas Rore Brown. May it please your Excellency, -When Messrs. Money, Wigram and ?ons first intimated their intention of miking no charge for the conveyance of the ova by the Norfo'k t< Mr Youl had, in a truly liberal and patriotic spirit, undertaken opay them 100 guineas from his own pocket, if they should think fit to. receive it, as some remuneration for the occupation of the twentieth part of their noble sMp. Uf this offer, howeverj these gentlenen ultimately declined to avail themselves, desiring that the seryice should be entirely gratuitius. From copies of the letters that pas=ed betwnen Mr Youl and the owners of. the Norfolk, given in the appendix to this report, the character of this transaction, which reflects much credit on them both, will be fully understood by yonr Excellency: A/spaie measuring fully 50 tons, equal to a twentieth part of the whole tonnage of the Norfolk, was thus gratuitously dedicated to the service of the undertaking by her public spirited owners. Having thus provided for the conveyance of the ova to Melbou'iie by one of the. fastest ships in the Australian trade, and having nearly completet! the arrangement necessary for their reception onboard the Norfolk, whose departure was positively to take place on the 20bh of January, Mr Youl forwarded instructions to Mr Robert Rarosbottom, the well-known pisciculturist of Olitherne, to procure forthwith, from the Ribble, the number of ova intended to be despatched to Tasmania. On former occasions Mr Ramsbottom had never frand any difficulty in obtaining whatever quantity bad been required by Mr Youl; and, in the previous year, on the 12bh of January, an abundant supply of spawn had been obtained from the Ribb'e. A week earlier in the present year, dependent on some peculiarities of the season, every fish captured by Mr Eamsbnttom was found already to have shed its spawn in the river. On receiving this embarrassing information from Mr Ramshottom, the same energy that- had been called forth by the difficulty of finding a suitable means of conveyance to the antipodes was displayed by Mr Youl. Mr Ramsbottom, with his son, Mr William Ramsbottom, were imraeriia<-e!v despatched to the Doyey, in. Wales, and Mr W. Johnston, another experieneffd and trustworthy pisciculturist, to the Tyne. At the same time, with much judgment. Mr Youl published, in the Times a general appeal fo the proprietors of salmon fisheries, and to all who were engaged in, or took an interest in the work of pisciculture throughout Great Britain, to assist in the great experiment then in hand. That appeal was successful, and was responded to in the most liberal and generous manner by noblemen, gentlemen r.nd others, both in England and Scotland. Through their kind assistance, and the zeal and activity displayed by the agents employed by Mr Youl, amongst whom Mr Ramsbottom of Cli'theroe, cur superintendent Mr William Ramsbottom, and his brother Mr Restab Ramsbottom, greatly distinguished themselves, the requisite supply of ova, exceeding 100 000 in number, with several thousands of trout ova were ultimately obtained. In spite, however, of all the enargy and activity that hai been displayed, these ova did not reach London until the 18th January; nor ■ could it have been po <sihie to .have shipped them all and completed the arrangements in the ice-house, had not Messrs Money, Wigram and Sons given a further proof of their generosity by detaining the Norfolk for one whole "ayafter she was quite ready to set sail. All difficulties having been thus successfully overcome, the ice-house was finally jlosed on the evening of the 20th day of January; and the Norfolk took its departure on the following day with its precious and novel burden, towards the ultimate fate of which the attention of the whole scientific world, and of all taking an interest in the well being of the Australasian colonies, was anxiously directed, accompanied by Mr W. Ramsbottom. their.special custodian and guardian. On the 15th day of April the Norfolk cast anchor in Hobson's Bay, having thus complete;! her voyage to the far south ia the brief space of eighty-lour days. Before the arrival of. the Norfolk at Melbsurne, Mr Wilson had app'ied to the Government of Victoria for the use of her Majesty's colonial steamship Victoria for the conveyance o* the ova from Hobson's Bay to Hobart Town. That application had been liberally and promptly acceded to, and the vessel ordered to be in readiness for the performance of this service the moment the arrival of the Nor folk should be announced. Soon affer the Norfolk had dropped her anchor, the ice house was unlocked by Mr Ramsbottom, for the first time sibce it had been e'oseri in the Thames. <ne of the small boxes containing the salmon ova -was then forthwith opened, and, to the joy orthe anxious observers, it was found that a considerable portion of its contents were'stiil in a sound and promising condition. No examination of the remaining boxes was deemed necessary, but the most energetic measures were immediately taken for the speedy transfer of the ova, with the remainder of the ice. amounting to about twelve tons, from the Norfolk to the hold of the VictoriaStrong wooden boxes wee prepared, in each of which fifteen of the small original boxes of ova, covered over with a considerable thickness of ice, and enveloped in blankets, were securely packed. With commendable foresight these boxes were > fitted up fo as to adroit of their being at once slung on bamboos, and thus carried by bearers from the termination of the navigable portion of the Derwent to the ponds on the Plenty, a distance of nearly four miles; and this arrangemerit was, in practice, found greatly to facilitate the conveyance of the ova over that part_ of the way. Thus prepared, 11 boxe;, containing 1/0 of the original packages, were carefully removed from the Norfolk to the Victoria, and deposited in a part of the hold Jeastvexposad to the injurious action of the machinery, from which they were further protected by placing stuffed pals between the boxes. The remaining eleven boxes were retained by the Acclimatisation Society^for the purpose of being hatched in Melbourne, without exposing them to the possible accidents and certain delay involved in a second voyage, and to .the tremor caused by th,e act.oii ot the screw, from which Mr Youl, as well as the Commissioners, had apprehended considerable danger to the_ life of the ova- In the presence of a large ice manufactory, in close proximity to which the hatching- box was piafed by the Acclimatisation Society, and where could be obtained at all times an unlimited supply of ice, so essential to the well-being of the ova, that body possessed an element of success not enjoyed by^the Commissioners in this colony, whose sole'dependence rested on the surplus from the ice-house of the Norfolk. The Commissioners therefore, cannct but regard the retention of a small portion of the ova in Me I hour re as a prudent course, and a? affording an additional guarantee against the failure of this great undertaking All necessary arrangements having been completed on board the' Victoria, that vessel took her departure for Hobart Town on the morning of the 18th of April, and dropped her anchor in the Derwent at three o'clock oa the afternoon of the 20th of that month. She was ! immediately visited by the commissioners present in Hobart Town; and thejsyork of reI moving the ova and ice, now reduced to about ten tans, into a barge provided for their reception, was forthwith begun.. Ta<i zeal evinced

mania."

by Captain Norman, his othcers a»d^men, soon brought thit work to a conclusion; and all w» completed ia less than six hours. At .mi JUJ. the i-arge was taken in tow by the lf le r f*™f Q Emu, which had been waiting all <**?«*&* start at a moment's notice, having on tward two of the Commissioners av,d Mr Ranisbottom; and at one am, on the following morning, sately reached the wharf at New Norfolk, where the barge, with its valuable cargo, was seeureJy moored, and carefully guarded until daylight appeared. As soon as it was known that the ova had reached Hew Norfolk, gentlemen residing in the town and its vicinity vied with each otner in their offers of assistance by their servants and teams. Ataneajly hour the barge was towed from the Steam Wharf to the place of deoarkation at the Falls where from 40 to 50 bearers and tfn horse teams were waiting to tike a part in the transport ot the ova and i-e to the bank of the Plenty. Five oi the large eases of the ova were, without loss of time, landed from the barge; and hein°- slung on bamboos, for which they had been prepared in Melbourne, they were placed on the shoulders of the men selected to carry them, and were, in a space of little more than two hours, safely and without the slightest accident deposited on the margin of their new home. In like manner, and with the same success, the remainder of the cases were brought up from the bars/c, five at a later period of the same day, and theremaining one early on the, following; morning. Some hours after the first portion of the cases had reached their destination, and after some alterations had been made in the gravel of the hatching boxes in the ponds, Mr R.amsbott.om, zealously assisted bygone of the Commissioners, Mr Morton AHport, began the process of unpacking the ova t"om the little boxes in which they had been so long imprisoned, and placing them in the limpid stream which had long been awaiting the advent. This operation was continued during the remaining part of the afternoon and a great portion ef the night, and actively remmed at the dawn of the following day. in the course of which it was concluded. While in some cases the greater portion of the ova still retained their vitality and healthy aspect, in others nearly every one had perished. After some further opportunity of observation, it was perceived by Mr Kamsbottom and the Commissioners present, that a close and almost unvarying relation existed • between the fate: of the ova and the condition of the -mo** in which they were enveloped. Where the moss retained its natural green hue and elasticity, there a large proportion of the ova retained a healthy vitality. Where, on the contrary, the mo?s was of a brown color, and in a collapsed or compressed form, few of the ova were found alive, and all were more or /ess entangled in a network of fansus. Tne Commissioners cannot, therefore, help suspecting that the condition and qupntitv of the moss in which the ova were embedded in each small box gr.atlyinfluenced their health and vitality. Messrs Allporfc and Ramsbottom, by whom the chief part of the ova were transferred from the packing-boxes to the ponds, assured the Commissioner* that the smallest amount of mortality was invariably to be found to have taken place in those boxes in which the moss had been most loosely packed, and the ova subjected to the least amount of pressure, it is impossible for the commissioners to siy, with accuracy, what was the number of ova place! in the ponds, in an apparently living and healthy condition, Mr Ramsbottom had, with some hesitation, estimated them at 30 000, or a little more than a fourth part of the number embarked in the Norfolk. From this number, however, it has since been discovered that a large reduction has to be made on account of those that been found sterile in consequence of deficient fecundation. A large p-rtion of the ova of this character have maintained, daring the whole progress of hatching, and many of them even still preserve, their, brilliant and healthy aspect, but on clo?e examination are found to contain do embryo fish within. Mr Ramsbottom has estimate"? the number of these Uttfeeuntiated ova as not less than 16 ; O0O. The number of healthy Croat ova placed in the ponds is believed by Mr Ramsbottom not to have exceeded 300, and his opinion is confirmed by the Commissioners present at the openiag of the boxes, and other observers. The salmon ova were deposited in the ponds on the 91st day from the date of their embarkation on board the Norfolk; and, with the exception of the contents of two small boxes of greater a?e, about the 96th from their exclusion from the parent fish, and thusvfour days within the period beyond which it has always baen repve?ented by Mr Youl that it would be highly dangerous to delay their immersion in their native element; The ova having been thus all deposited in the ponds it is unnecessary for the Commissioners to inform your Excellency that their progres towards maturity was watched with intense anxiety. Two boxes have been mentioned as containing ova of a greater age than the others. These had been taken from the parent salmon about the 6th of December, 1863, had lain for six weeks in the ice vaults ot the Wenham Lake Ice Company; and were, therefore 45 days old at the time ot embarkation in the Norfolk, and 136 day? when placed in our ponds. They bad been sent out by Mr Youl with the special object of further ascertaining for what period the process of hatching might be retarded beyond the natural period. Of these ova, few.were found to have survived, but most of those that were still living already exhibited the eves and outlines of the fish within. Amon?, the others of shorter ag% and especially the trout ova, the same encouraging proof-* of devolopment were soon perceived. On tin 14th of May tho first troat made its appearance, followed on the succeeding day by the first salmon that, had ever been seen in Australia, or south of the equator.' .The-farther hatching of the trout and salmon proceeded vary slowly for some days, but then became more rapid - especially among the trout. Among these the process was completed about the 25th day of Way. producing upwards of 200 healthy fish. The hateuiue: of the salmon wa< more protracted, and was not concluded until the Bth of June, on which day the last litti? fish was observed making Us escape from the shell. As they coatinued to make their appearance from day to day, their numbers were counted by Mr Ram-bottom with tolerable accuracy up to abaut 1 00, after which ib was no lon"er possible to keep any. reckoning. It ii impossible for Mr Kamsbottom, or the Commissioners, to make even an approximate estimate of the number of young salmon now in the ponds, lhat they amount to several thousands they have no reason to doubt; and as the mortality amongst the ova after deposition in the ponds was very moderate, and quite insignificant among the young bsh, there is reason to hope that they may exceed rather than fall short of expectation. Although the first living salmon was discovered in one ot the troughs containing a portion of the younger ova there is no doubt that it was preceded by some hatcled from those of the greater age, although, from being concealed under thepsbbles, they were notgioner noticed. That they had preceded the othara, however, is evident from their superior siz?, and other marks of greater advancsment. From these older ova not; more than four or five fish have been produced. The trout have now entirely lost their umbilical appeniaeres, and receive their morning and evening meals of boiled liver from the" hands of their keepers. The salmon are rapidly advancing to the same condition. Having been urged by Mr Youl i:ot to admit the trout into Me same rivers with, the salmon, the Commissioners have decided in the' meantime to place the former in the circular clearing pond under Mr llamabottom's immediate eye and care, where they will doubtless thrive and multiply, and at no distont period afiord the means of stocking all the rivers of the colony into which it may be considered proper to introduce them. The great undertaking oi introducing the salmon and trout into Tasmania has now,' the Commissioners believe, been successfully accomplished; and they trust they are^ not premature or too sanguine in congratulating your Excellency and the colony on this auspicious event, which cannot fail at no distant time to exert a very beneficial influence on the interests and resources of the Australian colonies. Few countries of the same extent possess more rivers suited to the nature and habits of this noble fish than Tasmania. A stranger acquainted with the salmon rivers of Europe could scarcely behold the ample stream an<l sparkling waters of the Derwent, without fancying that they were already the home of theking of fill. And the Derwent is but, one of many other large and overflowing rivers > almost equally suited to become the abode of the salmon. \ When these rivers have beeD stocked, they cannot fail bo become a source of considerable public revenue, and of profit aad pleasure to the. people. W

many have assisted in obtaining this important boon for the Colonies, it ia difficult to parricularise all those to whom it is indebted for their disinterested services. The untirinsc, zeal and in !efa— livable exertions of Mr Youl stan 1 forth onspicuous, and have 'osen mainly instrumental in. bringing the present (experiment to a Mier-s-sfat i*sue. The noble libsraiity of Messrs Money Wigrftm aid eons has been alrca-iy dwelt on; and those gentlemen, the Cornmi-isionsra are aware, .hive received the well merited thanks of your .Pxcellenc/o- Government. To those noblemen, gentlemen, and others, who rendered such, important and timely aid to Mr ifoul in iris arduous labors, the thanks of the Commissioners, and of the whole colony, are due. A special vote of thanks has been transmitted by the Commissioners to Mr fiobert Ramsbottoirj, of Unheroe, for the untiring interest he has long manifested ia the attempts to introduce the salmon into Australia, of which he has given practical proof by his hearty co-operation with Mr You., and the free use of. bis practical skill ?u!d experience in promoting the success of the experiment. The Commission*^ have felt it to L their duty, with the sanction o the Government, to present pieces of plate, with an expression of their thanks, to Captam iookiii, ot th' Norfolk, to Mr Carpenter, his chief odicer, and to Captain Norman, of her Majesty's steamship the Victoria, in acknowledgment of the dees interest displayed by them in the success of tte undertaking, and their efforts to secure tne rapid transport of the salmon ova from London to Melbourne, and Melbourne to Tasmania, upon, which their safety in a great degree depended-' This colony is under deep obligations to the Government and Parliament of Victoria, an'l to the president and members of the Acclimatisation Society, for their disinterested assistance. Towards the expense of the experiment by the Bean.tiful Star, the liberal sum of five hundred pounds was cheerfully contributed Jrom thepnblic treasury of that province; and, on the recommendation of the Acclimatisation Sociely, a similar amount granted in aid of the second experiment, together with>the me of the fane steamship Victoria. Thiaifimporfcance of this. latter service can hardly be~too highly estimatedIt supplied a link in the progress of the experiment which had caused the Commissioners mneit anxiety. The value and disinterestedness ot these services are enhanced by the fact that, at the time they were rendered, the faintest hope only existed that Victoria would bet benefitted by the success of the undertaking except^ in a very secondary degree. It is only lately thafe the idea of acclimatising the sihaon in some or the rivers of the colony has been entertained; and the Commissioners * will hear with mack pleasure that this reasonable expectation has beeit fulfilled. They rejoice to learn that nearly three hundred healthy young salmon have been produced from the few b~xes of ova left in the hincfoof the Acclimatisation Society; and it will be their first duty, as some acknowledgment of the generous aid they have received from Victoria, to render every assistance in their power towards the early stocking of the rivers of th'.t great coleny fitted to become thejlhomes of the salmon and trout. Smcejgffie process of hatching was completed, the 'mortality among; the yonng fishes, both salmon and trout has been very insignjficant, and has been almost entirely confined to a large number of the former that came forth from the egg with crooked spinea or some other deformity. They have grown considerably, anl present every characteristic of vigorous health. The Commissioners have no reason to doubt that the younsr parr will, in due season, attain to the condition of complete salmon, fulfil the long cherished bopes of the colony, an-:) make an ample return for all the expense and labor incurred in introducing them. » They entert»in every confidence that, under the guidance of their unerring instincts, they will, when the proper time arrives, proceed to and return from the sea in safety, and in their journeymeet with do enemies more formidable than thoseto which their progenitors have been exposed in the waters of Great Britain. Notwithstanding the success, however, that has already been achieve;!, the Commissioners are unanimously of opinion that at least ons more importation of ova should be undertaken without loss of time, It is not probable that the young fish now in the ponds wilt produce any spiwn, by which th^ir numbers may be multiplied, until a period of from two to three years has elap'en,—and thus much time will be lost in % fully stocking the rivers of the colony, unless a further supply fof ova be obtained. The whole experse of anoth r importation would not, the Commissioners believe, exceed L 80 0; which, divided among the various' colonies, which they have every reason to believe would contribute towards the expense of another importation of ova to Tasmania, from which.as a centre they will be distributed *o the surrounding colonies at a very trifling additional cost, and without any risk ct: Mure", would prove a very insignificant burden, to any of them. The undertaking oanK no longer be regarded as an but as a commercial transaction to be carried out with results varying ouly in amount. Considerable as has been tbe success on the present occasion, the Commissioners believe that the additional experience which has been gained by air Youl in England, and by themselves and their intelligent superintendent, Mr W. Ramsbottom, in this colony, would insure still more favorable results from "a renewed importation of ova. Of all the Australian colonies, JSTew '. Zealand possesses a climate most nearly resembling that of Tasmania, and the greatest -number of rivers that may bs supposed fitted to become the habitation of the salmon. From Southland the liberal contribution of L2OO has been received in aid of the last experiment; but she alone, of all the Provinces in that extensive colony, has hnherto given any response to the appall long since made to them. The Commissioners; earnestly hope that your Excellency's Government will recommend to the Parliament, now sitting, theappropriiition ot such a sum as will enable them, to take immediate measures for the introduction, of a further supply of salmon ova. In the appendix will be found a statement of the whole cost of the last importation. The < Commissioners have every reason to be safcisfied with the manner in which their superintendent, Mr Hamsbottom, has discharged the important duties of Ms office. He has amply fulfilled the expectations which induced them to send him back to Ba-rland in 1862; and since his return to the colony, the intelligence and devotion with whick he has watched and aided the progress of his valuable charge has merited their warmest commendation. The Commissioners, anxious not to anticipate any expenditure that could be postponed until thesuccess of ths undertaking should be fully established, have hitherto refrained from recommending the erection of a residence for the superintendent in the vicinity of the ponds. That work should now be no longer delayed; and they recommend that a comfortable weather-boarded cottage shouldba built with all possible despatch: for the accommolation of Mr fiamsbottora and his family. The thanks of the Commissioners are due to R. Rei'f, Esq., for his kind hospitality ia receiving Mr Ramsfoottoai (who must otherwise have lived in a teut) into Ms house nt Redlands. The salary hitherto paid to Mr Ramsbpttom for his services has been very smalt, and is, in the opinion of tbe Commi?sioners, no-longer commensurate with the duties eatrasted- to him. On thia subject they vtill further address your Excellency's Government in a separate communication. R. Offices, Chairman of Commissioners?

DISTANCE TABLE. Distance from Miles. Sydney to Auckland „ Manukau .. „ Nelson ... 1310 ... 120& ... 1180 „ Bluff Harbor ... .. 1100 Melbourne to Auckland •• .. ... 1650 „ Maaukau .. U4Q „ Nelson ... ., Bluff .. ... ... ... uia ... 1200 . „ Bunedin ... .. 1333 Auckland to Napier ... .. 353 „ Port Chalmers (direct) .. ... 800 „ Canterbury .. 678 Napier to Wellington .. .. Manukau to Eaglan .. 200 ... 7ft „ Taranaki ... 140 Taranaki to Nelson .. .. 140 , Wanganui .. ... 102