SALMON IN NEW ZEALAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16477, 1 September 1915, Page 10

SALMON IN NEW ZEALAND

RESULT OF EXPERIMENTS. (Fhom Our Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, August 13. So long ago' as 1899 the Marine Department commenced a systematic attempt to establish the quinnat salmoii in New Zealand waters, and 09 tho advice of Mr L. F. Ayson (Chief Inspector of Fisheriesl it was decided to concentrate their efforts on one river on the east coast of the South Island—the Waitaki River. The first shipment of ova arrived in January, 1800, and stocking the river was commenced. For several years after that large importations of ova- were made, and in 1907 it was found that the fish were returning from the sea to spawn. Since then their 1 numbers have been found to be , increasing yearly, and Mr Ayson'now states that the number of running fish this year was much greater than since the commencement of the experiment, and it was also found that there was a large run of fish up the Rangitata River, about 70 miles north of the Waitaki, while some had been found as far north as the Rokaia. Under those circumstances it had been decided to make an attempt ■to stock a West Coast river, and the Hokitika River had been selected. For the last four years the department had; been .collecting large quantities of ova from the fish in the Waitaki Rive?, and had started to stock the West Coast river this year. No fewer than 170,000 ova -were secured, and Mr AysOyia liberated the fry in various tributaries of the Hokitika River last week. The conditions, ho states, were very favourable. The weather was fine, and the rivers were in splendid condition. The largest quinnat salmon yet caught ill New Zealand waters weighed over 321h.