GAME IN POVERTY BAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16628, 23 April 1928, Page 4

GAME IN POVERTY BAY

A VISITOR'S IMPRESSIONS MANY MATTERS DISCUSSED Reference to the recent visit of the Hon. G. M. Thomson, M.L.C., to Gishornc wns made at the annual meeting of the East Coast Acclimatisation Society on Saturday afternoon, when the president, Mr. B. H. Aislabie, referred to Mr. Thomson as being the best man on acclimatisation matters in New Zealand, and one who was the writer of several books on these matters. "In the course of conversation," remarked the president. "I asked Mr. Thomson about Californian quail. I told him that we had recently had a visitor from Norfolk Island who stated that young quail were being caught for Sydney, and thought we would get some from there. We wrote to the Department of Internal Affairs. Wellington, and were refused permission to import them. Mr. Thomson said he could not understand that. His son, Dr. Thomson, was in charge of the Department of Internal Affairs," and he felt that he Mould not refuse permission. He. suggested that from what I had told him we had written to the wrong man. In any case, he said, surely there was no need to import Californian quail. Why not e;et them from either Nelson or Central Otago! T told him that we had fried Nelson, but they did not appear Co have any. He thought if we tried Otago we would get what we required. "PHEASANTS WILL DIE OUT" "Speaking in regard to pheasants," added the president, "Mr. Thomson said he thought they would gradually dio out; there were nowhere near as man/ as 2b years ago. He attributed this' to the increase in the number of small birds which ate. the same food as the pheasants. I told him how some of eur breeders had had bad luck with young pheasants—how, when shifted from "one patch to another they did not do well. He said that was what he meant to indicate—the small birds were eating the food suitable for the young pheasants. » "Mr Thomson mentioned Unit in some of the southern rivers the American brook trout was a lively fish for anglers, "but it was fast, dying out. It was smaller than the brown trout, but the latter ate the American brook trout, and in consequenco it only lived in the upper reaches of a river where the brown trout did not go. He could not express an opinion definitely, but he said he did not think the American brook trout would be suitable for our rivers in Poverty Bay. Still, it might he worth while trying them out in Hie upper reaches of the Waipaoa, for instance. "I also mentioned that Mr. Roberts had told mo that the trout in the Wharekopae stream did not seem of late to rise to the fly, and that Mr. Roberts thought there was too much feed about. Mr. Thomson said that undoubtedly was the cause, but it was merely a" transient phase—as soon as the feed decreased the fish would rise again to the fly. He said we need not worry on that score. It happened in many cases. BOUNDARIES AND AMALGAMATION "I also mentioned the matter of boundaries to Mr. Thomson, and quoted the cast; of the Ruakituri River, near Wairoa, where, i? a man holding our license after fishing on our side of the river went down the stream and on to the road he could get into trouble for not having a Kotorua license. He'said that was merely a small matter, and could be easily cleared up, if we saw his son, Dr. Alan Thomson, or Mr. Helford. Chief Inspector of Fisheries. "I mentioned to Mr. Thomson our lack of a ranger, and this brought up the question of the amalgamation of our society with the Waiapu society. I told him the position, that if we could amalgamate we could get a much larger revenue, and between us could employ an expert, who could also act as ranger. Mi'. Thomson agreed with this contention, and I hope steps will be taken to test the feeling of the Waiapu society on the subject. "Mr. Thomson said that what we should have more than anything else," added the president, "is a visit from Mr Hefford, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, who is also a bird man. He said if we wrote to Wellington, he thought Mr. Hefford would come up here for a day or so. Mr. Hefford is a busy man, and has only a small staff to assist him, but ho is doing wonders. "Mr. Thomson has offered to assist us in any way possible, and I feel, from his high status in acclimatisation matters that we have indeed secured a good friend."