ACCLIMATISATION WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 27 April 1934, Page 3

ACCLIMATISATION WORK

REVIEW OF YEAR’S EVENTS MEMBERS SATISFIED WITH COUNCIL CATERING FOR SPORTSMEN. Entire satisfaction with the work done by the council in the past year was expressed at the annual meeting of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society last night. Had not two members of the council retired and refused re-nomina-tion officers and the general personnel of the council would have remained unaltered by, the election. The president, Mr. W. H. Moyes, submitted his annual report and stated the work of the council during the year had met with a reasonable amount of success. The council had not achieved all that was hoped for, but it could claim justly to have placed the affairs of the society on a sound footing and to have paved the way for a much larger output from the fish hatcheries in the future. From the outset members of the society had been faced with difficulties. A lorry purchased last season for £2O had proved unsatisfactory and a source of expense. It had eventually been sold at a loss of £lO. Furthermore, the society had been committed to the unprofitable policy <sf trapping its own fish instead of purchasing ova. Altogether 200 fish had been trapped last season and, according to the curator’s report, 210,000 ova had been obtained. In addition to these 20,000 rainbow trout ova had been purchased from Government hatcheries. The subsequent discrepancy between the curator’s estimate and the number of fish liberated naturally left room for doubt as to the reliability of the figures supplied. While it might be advisable to trap a few fish for stock purposes, the council had reached the opinion that the bulk of the fish should be purchased from the Government, because the expense of trapping was too great and because it had been found impossible to trap an adequate number of jack-fish when they were most urgently required. In addition to these disadvantages the fish were of different ages and stages of growth when hatched. NEW PONDS AT HATCHERY. The pond accommodation at the hatchery had proved inadequate, continued the report, and as containers had been urgently needed to rear fish to the fingerling stage, several working bees had been held during the year to build two new concrete ponds. Limited finance had prevented other necessary improvements being made. The liberation of fish had begun in December and was completed by the middle of February. All fish liberated had been carefully counted, and it had -been proved that the number of fish estimated to be at the hatchery had been three times too great. Details of liberations in the district controlled by the society were given as follow:— Brown trout: Opunake weir 1320, Maungahume 1650, Waiau 2640/ Waiwakaiho 8200, Mangamahoe lake 2300, Everett Road 2023, Waiongona 2800, ( Warea 2000, Ngatoro 2550, Maketawa 5000, Maunganui 3150, Mangoreka 400; total 34,033. Rainbow trout: Stony 9400, Okahu 2000; total 11,400. While those numbers might at first glance be considered disappointingly small, it should be remembered that no fry were liberated and all fish distributed in the various rivers were strong and well grown. As funds would not permit the erection of pheasant pens birds ready for liberation had been purchased. Mr. R. Prestney, New Plymouth, reared a number of birds for the society without making any charge. As was the case in previous years, the policy of providing farmers with settings of eggs in cases where the farmer was willing to hatch them had been continued. Apart from any birds so provided 72 birds had been liberated by the society. AMALGAMATION PROPOSAL. The report traced the history of an unsuccessful endeavour to effect an amalgamation between all acclimatisation societies operating in Taranaki. Meetings had been held at Stratford, Hawera and Inglewood and proposals fully discussed. The discussions culminated in a meeting of combined councils at Stratford at which the delegates had unanimously agreed to the principles of amalgamation with a pooling of funds. It had been necessary, however, for the Hawera council to submit the proposals to its license-holders, and at a small meeting called for the purpose on December 9 the proposals had been rejected by 18 votes to 10. The New Plymouth council regretted the failure of negotiations and had hope that an amalgamation would be brought about in the near future. Friendly relations existed between the New Plymouth society and those at Stratford and Hawera. The latter had ordered the hatching of 250,000 ova supplied by it at the Durham Road hatcheries. Stratford had also asked for price quotations. FULL TIME CURATOR. The appointment of a part-time curator at the Durham Road hatcheries, continued the report, had proved unsatisfactory in many ways, and after careful consideration the council had taken the step of making a full-time appointment. ■Under the old arrangement the property was left without proper supervision for considerable periods, and no comprehensive scheme for the rearing of birds could be undertaken. Naturally the question of finance had been seriously considered before the step was made, but it was felt that by the exercise of economy and with the co-operation of the Hawera society in effecting further hatchery improvements, the society might be relieved of any financial anxiety. Assuming that the revenue for the coming year equalled that of last year, 400,000 ova might be purchased in the coming season, 50,000 of these raised to the fingerling stage, and 100 pheasants should be liberated in addition to any reared by license-holders who would undertake on behalf of the Stratford and Hawera societies. It was hoped that within ' a year or two sufficient ponds would be available for the society to rear its fish to the fingerling stage. This could be done only at considerable expense. Only the support of all interested in the stocking of rivers would make it possible. The balance-sheet ratified by the meeting showed that the excess of expenditure over revenue for the year totalled £3O 17s 6d. On the debit side, however, depreciation of value in the society’s property was shown. Revenue from fishing licenses totalled £220 2s 9d, from game licenses £69 Ils, and from donations £25 Ils Id. The assets of the society are valued at £1589 16s lid. Officers appointed for the year were: President, Mr. W. H. Moyes; vice-presi-dents, Messrs. A. F. Little and C. Rawlinson; council, Messrs. G. F. Bertrand, A. Feakins, T. Wilson, C. D. Lowden, R. B. Fleming; auditor, Mr. S. E. Nielson; secretary, Mr. V. Duff.