MARINE HATCHERY BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13637, 5 July 1906, Page 3

MARINE HATCHERY BOARD.

A meeting of the Porlohello Marine Fish Hatchery Hoard was held yesterday, and was attended by Messrs G. Ar. Thomson (cliainnanl, R. Chishoiin, ]). Barron, C. W. Chamberlain, ami Captain Beaumont. The Secretary (Mr Chamberlain) reported lhat after paying outstanding accounts, with tltO exception of the, cost of bringing out. the,lobsters, there was ii credit balance of £99 lis sd.

-The Sliaiv, Savill, and Albion Company forwarded a debit note for £00 2s 3d, the contractor's charge for filling up the lobster tanks on the Karamea.—Resolved that the amount he paid, and that tho Marine department he asked for a. refund out of the £100 which the Minister had authorised tho High Commissioner to expend. Correspondence- between the Minister of Marino and tho High Commissioner with reference to the importation of food fishes w;i3 read, and it was resolved that the Minister bo communicated with, and asked if Government would provide means for importing some other kinds of food fishes, such as tinbol or herring ova. Tho Chairman reporting on the Kara.mea's shipment of lobsters said lie went to the ship on her arrival and found that Mr Andcrton had already visited the vessel and got away, to the -hatchery- -with the two lobsters that, had survived out of the 25 shipped. ' After he (Mr Thomson) had soon the two lobsters at Portohcllo he- went back and had a talk with the engineer on the Karamea about the lobsters. Tlie.v enmo from Plymouth in straw, with their nippers tied. He was instructed to put them in sca-watcr in tanks for two days, and then , turn on the regular water supply, and he did this. and. in fact, carefully followed tho instructions sent from the Plymouth hatchery. The lobsters looked sickly when they reached the shin, and this he attributed to the fact that , they had travelled in hampers all night by train. After the second day the engineer turned' on tho water supply, but found that the cooling tank did not cool the water sufficiently. They experimented with the tank on the Friday that he (Mr Thomson) visited the vessel, and it lowered the temperature of the water by only four or five degrees. Tho temperature on the voyage rose to as high as 84-deg, and the lowest the engineer got. would be about 79deg. The lobsters began to. die within about eight days: when a fortnight out five a day went, and the whole 23 were lost in the first 17 days. Mr Naismith was satisfied that he could bring out lobsters quite well now. The two surviving lobsters, both females, were in firstclass order, anil the few oggs attached to their logs were being carefully treasured by Mr Andcrton.

It was agreed to tlmuk Mr Naismitli, engineer of the Karamea, for the trouble bo had taken.

Mr Chisholm narrated his experience when at Home in regard to the management and care of lobsters in transit, and suggested that it would be as well for tho board to procure for its future guidance, a copy of the report made by Mr I'urvos, tlie engineer of the lonic, when that vesfo; successfully landed the first shipment of lobsters brought to Olago, and this was agreed to. During the discussion about the lobsters C'liptain Burton (of the Karamea) arrived by appointment, and had a cbal with members on the subject. He mentioned that lie took out lobsters to Valparaiso without losing any. They were carried in a small shite lank with stones in the bottom and not much waler. Ha would bo very pleased, if arrangements were made with the company, to do what he could to ensure the safe carriage of any lobsters shipped bv his vessel, and be was sure that Mr Naismitli would also continue to take an interest in such an experiment.

It was resolved that the board 'communicate with lit Allen, and also with the Shaw, Savill Company, asking that a further shipment of lobsters be niado by the Karamea, if Mr Naismitli continued in charge of the vessel's engineering department. The following is the report by Mr P. Andcrton on operations at the hatchery during June:— The two crayfishes placed in the observation tank ou April 27 are keeping in excellent condition and feed well. When secured tho eggs appeared to have been recently extruded. Since then they have been examined at intervals, aud the development of the eggs is vory slow. As flourrders have been very scarce in tho barbour, and gravid females almost altogether absent, it has been found necessary to go further afield and to greater trouble and expense to seemo a good stock for sum-

met spawning. Mr King, of Purakamii. placed three dozen in c. "coll" and lowed them off to the Express, trawling in Blucskiu IJjy. Unfortunately they were packed rather too tightly in the eofl, and owing to r strong SAW (jalo lad to be kept in a coff at Port Chalmers overnight, with the result that tliey were placed in the pond in very poor condition. Nine of these have since died. A second batch of 23 large gravid female:; were secured and placed in the ponds in good condition. On this occasion 1 went to Purakamii overnight and assisted in their capture and handling. Twelve females and six males have been secured in the harbour. These r.io in excellent condition. This makes the total stock in the ponds to date 59 females and six niale°. The ponds are capable of accommodating considerably more than this, and 1 would like, with your permission, to try and get two or three dozen more of the large ones from Punvkanui. The males can bo secured in the harbour. During tho month large numbers of flounders and "English soles" have been taken from Blueskin Bay by the trawlers. The general opinion among tho fishermen is that these fish have gone there to spawn. As tlie ejgs of these fish aro buoyant, and no eggs are taken in the tow-iiet, this opinion is evidently erroneous, and the fish are not nearly ripe, I think their presence in this locality is accounted for by .tho presence of countless millions of a species of cumacte, upon which these fish are feeding, their stomachs in all cases' being completely filled with these "shrimps." Twenty-five lobsters were shipped by the s.s. Karnmea from London oi\ May 9; of'these unfortunately only two arrived alive. Both arc females, which have shed their eggs during the last few days of. the voyage. A few eggs (probably about 50) are still attached to one of these. It is just possible that a few of these may still hatoh out. These two have been placed in tho largo glass tank and aro at present in good condition, but will soon havo to pass through the critical period of moulting. The chief cause of the poor success of the experiment is undoubtedly owing to tho supply wafer not being sufficiently cooled during the hottest part of the voyage. ■According to tho chief engineer's log, 20 deaths (out of 23) occurred in fivo days, during which ' tho temperature of tho supply water Tanged from 78ileg (o Bfdeg F. The supply water was taken from the salt water circulation and led through a treble row of inch;pipes enclosed in a 40-gallon cr.'k filled with ice. This proved altogether inadequate a,nd did not at any lime reduce tho temperature bv more titan 4dcg. This can be easily remedied at little cost. The engineer thinks that about one-half of the lobsters shipped were females carrying eggs. The report was received.