SALMON AND TROUT

Southland Times, Issue 19654, 3 October 1922, Page 6

SALMON AND TROUT

HATCHERY FOR FISH OVA. SITE AT WATERWORKS SUGGESTED. QUALITY OF WATER DISCUSSED. The Southland Acclimairisatrion Society has been seeking a site for its new hatchery, and a special meeting was called last night to consider a report presented by the Site Committee, and to discuss the establishment of separate stations for “eye-ing” and hatching ova. The business of the meeting centred round a recommendation made by the committee that, certain conditions being favourable, a site opposite the Invercargill Waterworks should be selected for the hatcher,’, the w 7 ater to be supplied by a bore. This recommendation was adopted, and the Site Committee was instructed to proceed with the necessary steps to secure the site at the waterworks and to put down a trial bore, and also to start as soon as possible with the erection of an "eye-ing” station at Te Anau. There, were present at the meeting Messrs A. H. Stock (chairman*, R. Tapper, R. McKenzie, A. Cowan, Robertson, J. Gilkison, G. Moffett, E. Keast, R. Sloan, T. Traynor, G. F. Strang, N. E. Pattie, E. R. Stephens, E. R. Crofts, W. H. P. Hodgkins and E Ruaeell. After explaining why he had called the members together the chairman called upon the secretary to read the following report submitted by the Sites Committee : ‘‘New Hatcher.- Site.—ln approaching this question, your Committee had to be guided by two factors —volume and purity of water, and accessibility. This latter condition prejudicially affected the working of the Mat-aura establishment, and also discounted the value of the Benmore Reserve, as well as sites suggested on the Oreti Watershed, (near Lumsden, or Stag Creek, Castle Rock I. Inquiries made by Mr Hope elicited the fact that spring water, obtained by gravitation, or underground water, from artesian or pumping sources should meet requirements. This pronouncement by Mr Hope made it necessary for the Committee 4o examine closely into the Wallacetown

site, suggested by Messrs Moffett and Hodgkins, and the Waterworks site alluded to by Mr Pattie, at last Council meeting. To the possibilities of the latter site, great attention has been paid by some members of Ihe Committee, who have secured the following data: -The Borough engineer, on being approached, showed keen interest in, and sympathy with, the proposal. He pointed out where the water could be lifted from, how aerated, also furnishing estimate of cost of necessary plant, and daily work. Mr Carman (Borough electrical engineer) has also given his estimate of costs of dally running. A report and analysis of the Borough’s aerated water has been procured from Mr G. D. Maclndoe, Public Analyst. As the suggested site for the hatchery forms part, of the Borough Reserve, advantage was taken of the fact that our Councillor Robertson was a member of the firm of Longuet and Robertson, Borough solicitors, and he was interview-ed on the subject of tenure. During the interview Mr Longuet appeared, and when appealed tn by his partner, stated that the question of tenure was not insuperable. He suggested an agreement between the Borough and the Society, covering both’s requirements, and that this could be validated by Order in Council, or a clause in the Washing up Bill in Parliament. It now remains to interview the Reserves and Waterworks Committees of the Borough Council. Their support obtained, it should not be difficult to obtain the sanction of the Council. ADVANTAGES OF SCHEME TO BOROUGH. Sale of electrical power off peak hours. Use of water, after passing through hatchery during hatching period. Use of water, during remainder of year, but at their cost. Educational purposes. TO SOCIETY. No purchase of site required. General supervision, through nearness. Handiness for receiving ova from "eyeing station or annual dispatch of fry. Educatinal purposes. "Summing up the foregoing, it is apparent that Benmore and the Oreti Watershed sites are ruled out-, by operation of the accessibility clause. Wallacetown (Old Hatchery Site). This site being outside the Borough electrical area power would have to bo procured from the Power Board, if a sufficient supply of water could not be obtained by gravitation and such power would be more costly than that supplied by the Borough. A site would also have to be purchased, hatchery and house built, whilst for facilities of access it would not compare with the waterworks site. Should, however, any difficulty arise over the latter site, either through tenure or failure of the practical water test, then Wallacetown should receive serious attention from the Council. Any other site even if within the Borough’s electrical boundary, would necessitate aerating ponds barides purchase of site, and cost of necessary buildings and pumping plent. Your Committee therefore unanimously approve of the waterworks site, provided that the practical experiment of fish rearing, now 7 in operation

at t.he pumping station, be successful. Although the Borough engineer considers that we would have no difficulty in securing a sufficient quantity of water at the point suggested by him, your Committee consider it prudent that such estimate shoudl be tested by a trial bore, put down by the Society, and accordingly so recommended. “Eyeing Station.—Your Committee recommend that an eyeing station be established on the Upukerora river, at a point to be determined on by visit, and that the Committee be authorised to go into the practical details of setting up such establishment at the earliest date possible.” In the discussion that followed Mr Pattie said the water seemed to be quite suitable. He explained that the Committee had approached Mr Clapcott and found that buying the water from the Borough would be too costly. It would cost £5OO to put down a 6-inch artesian bore and instal an electric motor which would cost about. 15/- a day. The Borough would aerate the water, and would get benefits as well as the Society for the water would be available for the six months of the year when the Society did not want it, this period including the .time when the Borough water supply was shortest. The pump would supply enough to accommodate about 2,000,000 ova, of which it was suggested that 1,000,000 be brown trout and 1,000,000 Atlantic salmon.

Mr Gilkison said that the cost of hatching had worked out at 14/- a thousand. If the Society hatched 2,000,000 ova it would greatly reduce t.he cost per thousand. He considered that the scheme had outstanding advantages over any disadvantages, of which the principal one was the possibility of the water proving to be unsuitable. That however was now the subject of a practical test, and the fry at the waterworks w 7 ere in water absolutely identical with what the bore give the Society. The waterworks site had very great advantages of accessibility, the curator being in town, and the ova and fry very bandy for any of the members of the Society to see. This would no doubt stimulate interest very much indeed. He also suggested that the hatchery could be built in such a. way as to be suitable for q, glasshouse or a wunter garden. With the local hatchery for trout and salmon the Southland Acclimatisation Society would be "the” Society in the Dominion. Mr Tapper said the “eye-ing” station seemed to him to be more important than the hatchery problem. The Government had their eye on the Upukororo river too, and there was no room for two. If the Government went ahead there the Society would have no market for the salmon. He understood that the Government intended to obtain the ova, hatch it and turn the fry out into the river. The Oreti and Aparima rivers were most important te Southland because they were so handy to the fisherman, and it. would be a good thing for the Society to hatch brown trout fry and release them in the headwaters of the Oreti and Aparima. The "eye-ing’’ station should be gone on with at. once. That was more urgently necessary than the hatchery at present. He was doubtful,

however, about the purity of the water at the site opposite the waterworks for hatchery purposes, as he understood there might be a sediment and anything of that nature was fatal to the ova. Mr Hodgkins was in accord with Mr Tapper. He said there was no need at present for the Society to worry about the Government bogey. Tfie Government was taking an interest in the quinnat salmon which was a commercial fish. The “eyeing” station was the more urgent necessity, and it should certainly be established in time to commence operations at the next season. Mr Moffett said the ‘eye-ing” station was a very important matter that should be hastened. The Wallacetown site had six springs and ample water for all the Society’s requirements. Providing the water was all right he was convinced the Waterworks site was the best, and the Legislative authority should be obtained without delay. But he thought the Committee should visit the old Wallacetown site. The meeting then decided unanimously to instruct the Committee to proceed as soon as possible with the establishment of an “eye-ing” station at. Te Anau. Mr Traynor said in some of the rivers there were more eels than trout. He had caught more eels last year than ever before, and he had caught trout up to 2Mbs which were badly cel-marked. This seemed to be fairly conclusive evidence that tho Society must be losing a tremendous number of fish by the depredations of eels. If the Society spent, say £lOO a year on the destruction of eels he believed it. would meet the need. If the Society employed a man for say six months of the .year and provided him with 20 or 30 eel-traps the desired end might, be achieved. Mr Tapper suggested that the site for the “eyc-ing” station be selected very soon before the Government got in. It was pointed out that the Site Committee would probably have a report to present at the next meeting of the. Society. Mr Pattie moved that it be an instruction lo the Site Committee to proof’d with the necessary steps to secure the Waterworks site and report to the next meeting, and to sink a trial bore; also that Mr Russell be put on the Committee. This was carried unanimously. Mr Tapper asked was it advisable to put down the trial bore until it was assured that the water contained none of the sediment which was fatal to the ova. Mr Pattie said the longer the wrater stood the more of the sediment dropped out. It had been suggested that if the Society pumped the water it need not be used immediately, but could be allowed to go through the reservoirs before going over the trays. Mr Clapcott had suggested, said Mr Gilkison, that the Society would probably be able to use the same water over and over again simply by oxygenating it by spraying after each time of use. This would obviate the necessity for much of the pumping as only a very small proportion of the power necessary for drawing the water up would be required to spray it. Before the meeting closed the chairman said ho believed the hatchery would possess such educational advantages that it ITould be of great value to the Society, as it would stimulate all interest, especially as Atlantic salmon ova would be hatched there, and he believed the Atlantic salmon was going to be a name to conjure w’ith. He believed it would pay the Society to establish an aquarium later on, and there would then be nothing to prevent it from going on with a scheme for getting waterfowl and laying out the site nicely.