SALMON OVA FOR OTAGO.

Otago Witness, Issue 853, 4 April 1868, Page 1

SALMON OVA FOR OTAGO.

The shipment of fish ova by the Celestial Queen should be watched with the keenest interest throughout New Zealand. Although the credit of the spirited enterprise belongs to Otago, the whole Colony is concerned in it. If it prove a success, a new wealth is being introduced, -which, in course of time, may prove scarcely less valuable to the Colony than the importation of Merino sheep a few years ago has proved. Before Great Britain became the heavily peopled and extensive manufacturing country which it now is, salmon was so plentiful that servants used to stipulate they should not be required to partake of more than two meals weekly of ' it. Now it is a luxury, commanding a high price. It is not uniikely the Australasian Colonies may pass through what we may call the salmon era. It will be long before the rivers generally are poisoned with manufactories, and in the meanwhile they may so swarm with salmon as not only to provide a cheap article of food to the Colonists themselves, but perhaps a valuable export. When the enormous rapidity with which, under favorable circumstances, the salmon increases, is considered, we do not image a very extravagant picture. The commencement is the great difficulty. It would not be fair to imply that the credit of that commencement rests with Otago. Tasmania has for some years been engaged in experiments connected with the introduction of salmon, and she has succeeded in importing two shipments of the ova, from which many thousand young fish were hatched. It is to some extent doubtful how far the experiment has since succeeded. Late official intelligence from Tasmania states that grown salmon, returned from the spa, have tmquestionably been seen in the river ; but, as yet, we believe none of the fish have been caught. Whether the Tasmanian experiment succeed or not, the Otago attempt is to be rejoiced at. The demand upon Tasmania for Australia will Ye for some years heavy. Many conceivable accidents, might mar the success, supposing it to be confined only to one river. The difference in expense between importing the ova to New Zealand from Great Britain and from Tasmania is not so very great. A^ain, with every fresh importation, new knowledge is gained. Nor is the Otago shipment confined to salmon. Besides trout in addition, there is also the ova of a German fish, which, from the accounts given of it, should prove as valuable as the salmon. The salmon umbla is said to be not inferior in size or in delicacy of flesh, and it is not migratory. With the extensive lake system of Otago, such a fish may prove of immense value. We should not omit to refer to the fowls' eggs which have also been sent. In many quarters, the utmost interest -will be felt in the settlement of the question — whether the eggs of birds, like the ova of fish, will preserve their vitality in ice for a lengthened periou.

(From the Daity Times, March 30.)

The fate of the shipment remains yet to be determined. All that can as yet be said is, that the strictest precautions have been taken to secure its successful arrival, and that the arrangements, up to the vessel's leaving, appear to have been faultless. In less than another fortnight the ship should be hero. ' She left the Channel on the 20th January with a fair wind, and she is reputed a fast clipper. Now is the time the Province should remember that, whatever the result, a deep debt of gratitude is due to those who have lent their aid in preparing the shipment. It appears simple enough to speak or write about, but when the details are looked into, a shipment such as has

iWßHinade by the .Celestial Queen is tßurroundedt Burrounded by a thousand difficulties, which nothing but untiring unselfish,' devotion can overcome. Primarily, the ! weight of responsibility fell on Mr Youl, and to him the heaviest debt of gratitude is due. Equally zealous, but not possessing the same amount of skilled knowledge, Mr Young has scarcely inferior claims to thanks for his services. Mr Frank Buckland again proved himself a most useful and energetic friend to the experiment, besides the kindness he displayed in sending out museum specimens. The name of Mr Adam ought not to be forgotten ; and there are other gentlemen who, in one way or another, did all tfiey could, and who deserve the sincere thanks of the. colonists. There has been no attempt to grudge thanks; on the contrary, there seems throughout to have been the utmost readiness on the part of every one concerned to admit the services rendered by others. It is therefore with considerable pain we observe in the columns of the Australasian, in a letter from its London "Sporting Correspondent, " most ungenerous insinuations that he is being deprived of credit justly belonging to him. We should have taken no notice of such complaints had they appeared in an ordinary paper. But the Australasian is such a carefully edited journal, and one which so deservedly carries great weight, that we feel C9mpelled to . call our contemporary's notice to, assertions which we are sure he will regret have found their way,>to his columns. This sporting correspondent alleges that he was spoken to, or." communicated with, some months ago, concerning the proposed shipment of salmon, and that he gave advice about it. "But," he continues, " from the time " when ; l advised them what to do up to " the present moment, I have not had " one line or heard one -syllable from " either of these gentlemen, though I " have seen a long description of their i " doings, sent to other papers*- with which " I have ne connection. It is somewhat " curious that precisely the same thing " happened with regard to India, only " that instance was rather worse, as I " went rather further, for I actually sup-- " plied the gentleman who applied to " me with ova, and packed them care- ' " fully for him, so that he might have "no trouble whatever, but from that " time (though he subsequently made a " good deal of fuss in the papers), I never " had a line of thanks or a syllable of news "of any kind from him, either good, bad, ' "or indifferent. This may be all right. I " dare say it is some kind of bluff inde- " pendence, which it is thought desirable "to exhibit. Still, I don't fancy that it "is calculated to favor enterprises of " this kind. However, Quot hominies " tot sententiae. It is not quite the sort of " thing I should do myself. Neverthe- " less I am very glad to see that they "have succeeded in shipping some "200,000 ova on board the Celestial " Queen, which have been duly packed in " wet moss, and placed in it according to " the method already proved to be sue- " cessful twice in sending ova to Tas- " mania. The ova are bound for Dun- " edin, New Zealand, and I hope and " trust they may arrive safely, and that " their subsequent fate may be as pros- " perous as can be hoped for — still it " must not be forgotten that the voyage "to Tasmania is quite long enough, " and an extra fortnight is anything but " desirable."

The absurdity of this sporting gentleman's complaint is apparent. The conductors of an experiment of the kind Mr Youl and Mr Young had in hand could not fail to speak about it to dczens of persons and, of course, they were glad to receive hints and advice. But it is too much to suppose that they were bound to register and publish the names of all the persons to whom they spoke, or to send them, lines of thanks, or, worse still, to write to the papers with which they might happen to be connected. The concluding hint of the sporting gentleman is either an exhibition of spite or a stultification. Does he mean it to be understood that, when, his advice was asked, he recommended the shipment not to be made, on account of the extra fortnight ; and, if so, can he wonder, seeing that the shipment was determined on, that his further ad vice was not sought ? Or if he did not discourage the shipment on account of the extra fortnight, why does he croak about it now ? and, above all, whei-e does he sret his extra fortnight from ? Seeing that the Tasmanian shipment was made via Melbourne, and that this is direct to Otago, we do not understand what ia to constitute the extra fortnight.