THE SALMON INDUSTRY

Otago Witness, Issue 3145, 24 June 1914, Page 13

THE SALMON INDUSTRY

CANADIAN INSPECTOR'S VIEWIS. NEW ZEALAND PROSPECTS. Professor Prince, Commissioner of Fisheries to the Canadian Government, who has been engaged to report upon the dominion fisheries, arrived in Hokitika, accompanied by Air L. F. Ayson, the Chief Inspector of Sea Fisheries. The principal object of the visit was to examine the fresh water fisheries of the West Ooast, including the existing conditions of and prospect for the sporting species of salmon. A large shipment of Quinnat salmon eggs is being placed in the hatching tanks at Kokatahi, and have been taken from salmon bred in the Hakateramea hatchery. This is a most remarkable circumstance, establishing the fact that species have been thoroughly acclimatised hefo. The Professor says these eggs are a fine sample and ougiit to produce the best results. They arc not surpassed by the eggs which, us Gomnvssionor of Fisheries in Canada, ho had seen taken annually from the Pacific hatcheries in British Columbia. Ho said to a Times reporter that the acclimatisation of brown and other species of trout had already made the fisheries of New Zealand famous the world over, and was convinced that Tie establishment of Quinnat salmon in New Zealand waters must bo regarded as even more remarkable. T hat the acclimatisation of the Quinnat salmon in our waters was matter for special for many reasons. " In the first place,” he said, “ it is by far the best species of the live kinds of salmon oceurmg in the Pacific rivers of North America. It is a splendid sporting fish, and its table qualities are very superior. Then again, in Canada a very large industry is carried on in m id cured salmon, and the Quinnat is the species in request for that purpose. As a sporting fish it has a high reputation. It is a great fighter, and it reaches a very large size; indeed, I myself have seen examples over 841 b in weight, and weights up to 1001 b have been recorded. in the world of sport its reputation is such that anglers from all parts of the United States, and even from Europe, resort to the Campbell River, Vancouver Island, to angle for Quinnat salmon. It is caught by anglers in the Campbell River, in the estuary, and in the Straits of Georgia. It is caught with the fly, and also by troll.ng Some years ago a small hotel was erected to accommodate visiting anglers. That hotel has been repeatedly enlarged until now it is a very large and handsome budding.'’ Professor Prince stated that the acclimatisation of this species on the East Coast of the .South Island has been attended with very great success. ’‘ The fish have extended,” lie expla ned, “ from the Waitaki, where they were first introduced, u;i to the Gpihi, Rangitata, and Rakaia Rivers, and have been caught by fishermen off the coast of Tirnaru. They will extend to other rivers, and tiie finest results arc promised. *• 1 fully agree with Mr Aysan that the Hokitika River is better adapted for tins fish than any accessible river on the West Coast,” said Professor Prince. ‘‘The reason for this belief is that the Quinnat prefers longer rivers, and in its native waters ascends great distances to spawn. I have known the Quinnat to migrate nearly 2000 miles up the Yukon River to its spawning ground, and in British Columbian rivers it travels up from 200 to 700 miles. A feature of special importance in connection with the introduction of Quinnat salmon,” Professor Prince added, “ is the fact that it will npt interfere in any way with other fish. On entering the rivers it ceases to feed, and the yotmg fry remain a shorter tune in the upper waters than is the case with Atlantic salmon, and descend to the sea to feed at a very early age.” Professor Prince then supplied the reporter with some particulars relat.ng to the four other kinds of salmon available on the Pacific Coast of Canada. "The principal of those is the Bockeyo, or Red, salmon,” ho said. “ It is the species wh : ch is tinned on an immense scale. It does not compare with the Quinnat for table qualities or as a sporting fish. its commercial value arises from the deep" rod colour of the flesh which secures its preeminence in the preserved condition. The principal Sockcye rivers are the Eraser, the iSkoena, and the Nasse, and 1 may mention that the value of the tinned salmon industry in these rivers amounts in some years to over £2,000,T00, so that you will see the imtncnce commercial value of this species. There is no reason why this extremely valuable fish should not be established in some New Zealand rivers, and in future create a great industry here. There is no more difficulty in establishing the Sockeye than in acclimatising the Quinnat, which has been so successfully established here, thanks to the efforts of Mr Ayson, -to whom every credit is duo in this respect. The Sockoye never exceeds 61b or 71b in weight, and is very tmiform in size. The vast numbers migrating together from the sea make it the commercial fish. A very excellent species which, like the Quinnaf, is valuable for sporting as well as food purposes,” Professor Prince proceeded, "is the Coho salmon, or Silver salmon, ranging from 101 b to 201 b in weight. Another large sized fish is the dog salmon, but the flesh is white, and it is used only for export to the Japanese and Orientai markets. The smallest salmon is the Humpback salmon which, however, has no qualities to recommend it for .acclimatisation in New Zealand. One remarkable species—the Stcelhead —occurs in Canadian waters. It is a very fine fish, weighing from 201 b to 301 b. and strongly resembles Scottish salmon. It has been recently stated that this fish was really sent to New Zealand as rainbow trout from California, but this contention is open to grave doubt for the reason that the Stoclhead is much rarer and supplies of its eggs arc far more diffi r-ult to obtain. There have been several shipments of rainbow trout to Now Zealand, and there is abundant evidence that it is well established and affords splendid sport.” Professor Prince stated that what he had already soon .of our inland rivers and lakes had convinced him that they are wc-11 adapted for the finest species of sporting fish, and singularly free from the conditions which produce fungus and other diseases. " Many highly esteemed sporting fishes,” ho concluded, “might in the near future be introduced without injury to existing species. I have paid particular attention to food supplies, and so far have not seen any scarcity, but where food appears to bo lacking, new supplies of acquatic creatures suitable for this purpose could easily

bo introduced. He had not inspected North Island waters, where special conditions vvore stated to exist. STOCKING THE RIVERS. ABSOLUTE GOVERNMENT CONTROL URGED. A PROFESSOR’S VIEWS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) GREYMOUTH, June 11. Professor Prince, the Canadian Commissioner of Fisheries, who left this morning for Christchurch, is of opinion that the Westland lakes and rivers should be stocked on a much larger scale than has been the case hitherto. Ho also urges the development of the commercial species of fish, as well as the kinds valuable for sporting purposes, instancing the Skeena River, in Canada, as the scene of great salmon industry during throe months of the year, while at other times of the year its tributaries are resorted to by anglers, who fish for Cuttrout and Rainbow trout, the different varieties in no way interfering with each other. The professor is of opinion that several West Coast rivers are admirably suited for both purposes. He states that several streams, notably the Haast River, afforded the nccessarv conditions for establishing the Sockcye salmon, a species of the highest commercial value. Tins fish does not feed on fresh water, even although it occurs in immense numbers, and it will not exhaust the food supplies’ on which the sporting species of salmon trout subsist. He confidently looked forward to the time when salmon canneries would carry on valuable and profitable operations in the Westland rivers. Professor Prince apparently suggests that acclimatisation work has been conducted in a rather haphazard way in Now Zealand, and that the Government ought to do more to encourage the efforts of the societies. He strongly disapproves of the present system of finance, and scorns to think that all revenue should be collected by the Government and apportioned with a substantial subsidy amongst the-societies, accordin.T to ascertained needs. He fully approved of the Kokatahi Hatchery being supplied with Quinnat salmon eggs, wh’eh Inspector Ayebn brought with him from Hakataramea. There is a splendid water supply in the hatchery, and the efficient management of the work by the local society is bound to have a most satisfactory result. There is already evidence of excellent success, in the fact that brown trout nearly 201 b in weight are frequently -got. He heard that, recently a 17Jdb fish was caught in the Waimea Creek, and that trout exceed,’ng 251 b in weight have been got in the River Styx.