FISH AND GAME

Taranaki Daily News, 2 May 1935, Page 12

FISH AND GAME

TARANAKI SOCIETY’S WORK. YEAR’S ACTIVITIES REVIEWED. Activities of .the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society during the past year were reviewed in the annual report submitted to the society on Monday night. The committee reported the past year had been a particularly busy one. An attempt was made to increase the output of the hatchery as well as to liberate a larger number of pheasants. The council could claim to have been successful in both of these undertakings. The wages of a permanent curator and the expenses incurred in installing sufficient ponds to enable the fry to be kept to at least fingerling stage had naturally absorbed a large portion of the annual revenue. Realising that the society’s funds would be totally inadequate to provide for improvements, the council made efforts to secure business from outside. Substantial orders for fish came from the Hawera, Stratford, Wanganui and Feilding societies. Five-year contracts were entered into with both Hawera and Stratford, and there was every likelihood of a contract with the Wanganui society.

Altogether 525,000 eyed ova were received at the hatchery, 250,000 for Hawera, 25,000 for Stratford and 250,000 for Taranaki. It was regrettable that when the fish were in the yolk stage very serious damage was done through freshes in the Ngatoro River bringing down enormous quantities of refuse from cowyards higher up the stream. Losses owing to the same cause were suffered after the fish were placed in the holding ponds. In spite of this handicap, owing mainly to the painstaking work of the curator, a large number of fish were raised to fingerling and yearling stage. LIBERATION OF FISH. The liberation of the society’s own fish began in December and ended on March 10. Fish were distributed as follows: — Browa trout, December, 1050 in the Henui; January, 16,200 at Opunake; February, 40,000 in Maunganui, 6500 in Waiongona and Waiwakaiho. Rainbow trout, December,'so to Mr. Carr; January, 8500 in Stony River, 1800 in Okahu, 11,700 in Stony River, 3500 in Okahu; February, 100 to Mr. Lawrence, 20,000 in Waiwakaiho; March, 1500 in Stony River. The total liberated was 110,900. A supply of 12,000 yearlings remained at the hatchery and it was the intention of the council to liberate the bulk of these in the coastal rivers in the Warea and Opunake districts. Unfortunately the phenomenal floods experienced in March brought disaster, and resulted in the death of practically all fish reserved for this purpose. Early in the season it was found that the water supply was not sufficient to feed all the ponds in use. In order to overcome this difficutly working bees were held, and a dam of steel tanks was constructed below the intake. The height of the river was raised approximately two feet, enabling an ample supply of water to be utilised when needed. Unfortunately, no signs of the dam remained after the flood, and the incoming council would be faced with the erection of a more substantial structure before fish in any quantities were placed in the holding ponds. Since the beginning of 1935, 130 pheasants were liberated. A contract to supply IM birds was again entered into with Mr. George Cloke, Lepperton, who was congratulated on the success of his efforts. The thanks of the society were also due to Mr. Ri Prestney for supplying a number of birds free of cost. So far no attempt had been made to rear pheasants on the society’s own property. An estimate.of the cost of providing the necessary equipment showed the impossibility of undertaking anything on a large scale. The council, therefore, considered it wiser to continue with the old arrangements until such times as finances warranted the erection of suitable pens. A paddock was ploughed and levelled with a view to utilising it for pheasant rearing in the near future.

RIVER POLLUTION. The question of overcoming pollution of the river supplying the hatcheries was a serious one. Exclusive of the fish destroyed by the flood, the mortality in the early stages of development was alarming, and accounted for the loss of approximately 100,000 fish in the fry stage. This serious loss was directly the result of pollution, and would have been much more severe -but for the unremitting attention paid by the curator to his work. The trouble lay in the. fact that for years prior to the acquisition of the property by the society, the. river was used to carry away all drainage from cowsheds and pig styes situated on the farms between the hatchery and the mountain. The farmers concerned had expressed their wilingness to co-operate in every way possible to overcome the present difficulty, and with a view to helping the society had decided to instal a system of drainage that should diminish to a large extent the trouble experienced during the past year. It would, however, be impossible to work under ideal conditions until this problem was faced squarely and some form of settling tank installed at the hatchery. So serious was the trouble at one stage that the council felt justified in calling in experts to give advice. However, the scheme of filtration suggested was quite beyond the means Of the society and was not proceeded with. Members would be interested to know that a conference of delegates from Hawkes Bay, Wellington, North Taranaki, Stratford, Hawera, Wanganui and Waimarino was held recently at Palmerston North. North Taranaki was represented by the secretary, Mr. V. Duff. As an outcome of this meeting a conference was subsequently held at Stratford, when delegates from the three Taranaki societies and from Wanganui and Waimarino were present. The question of the amalgamation of these five societies was fully discussed, and it was finally resolved that in the opinion of the delegates present, amalgamation of these societies was neither necessary nor advantageous, but that the formation of a federation enabling each society to retain its individuality was advisable. In the event of such a federation being formed all fish required by the societies would be obtained from the Taranaki society’s hatchery, and the federation would be able to find sufficient funds to undertake a certain amount of proper ranging.

The work done at the hatchery and the liberation of both fish and birds had only been possible owing to the generosity of friends in supplying cars and in forming the many working bees held during the year. To all who assisted thanks were expressed. The curator, Mr. Miller, had had a worrying year ,and the society was indebted to him for the capable manner in which he had carried out his duties. Thanks were also due to the Press. The accounts Showed a surplus of revenue amounting to £l9 8s 7d, which in view of the unusually heavy expenditure might be considered quite satisfactory. There was an amount still to come from opossum revenue. The council thanked the society’s honorary rangers for their active co-opera-tion in furnishing periodical reports on matters coming under their notice.