QUINNAT SALMON.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13594, 14 May 1908, Page 2

QUINNAT SALMON.

(To the Editor of the " Timaru Herald.") Sir, —I am pleased to see by " K's" reply to my last letter, that after all he is one with me on the question of Quinnat being of little use to anglers in our livers. But I think I was fairly justified iu assuming that he supported the opposite view, as almost, tlie ; whole of his letter was directed towards discrediting or as lie says "discounting" my statements. He first directly questions my accuracy as to the age when the Quinnat ascends rivers. He may be right here but I should like to. see the proof before admitting I was so very far wrong. Then without auy apparent alteration ia his disagreement from my views, he quotes my. remarks about the inutility of the Quinnat as a sporting fish in fresh water. He then quotes you twice apparently in support of his adverse ci'ibicism. He then quotes American authorities and sportsmen presumably supporting .the same views, viz., that Quuinnat take fly in fresh water, and then directly states that my statement is "discounted" by a quotation re humpbacked salmon. So he can hardly blame me if I assumed that he was arguing against my opinion that these fish were not of great value 'to anglers in our rivers.

Now, to hark back to the age at which Quinnat Salmon ascend our rivers to spawn, I was not talking without some knowledge of the niatter t as we have at the present time in our ponds at the Societies' hatchery Quinnat Salmon of various ages hatched at the Government hatcheries at Hakataramea. The oldest we have are now four years old, and last spawning season Ave stripped these fish, they being then a little over 3 years old, and hatched out the ova and have the young fish in the gardens bred in this way nearly a year old. I consider that this shows that at least some Quinnats mature their ova at about three years old even when kept in fresli water ponda and would have spawned in a natural way in our rivers if set at liberty. I think it is fair to presume that fish going to the sea in the ordinary course would there mature more quickly, and be very likely to return for spawning purposes at least as early or earlier than fish kept in artificial and unnatural conditions. With regard to "KV quotation from the London "Times" re the age at which Tay salmon return as grilse, I may say that I was already acquainted with the article he quotes, but although considering it as a most valuable contribution towards the life history of the salmon, I think even its most ardent supporter would hardly say that it was all that was wanted to solve the whole question. For instance the smolts that were marked were all supposed to be one year old. Now it has been conclusively proved that while the majority of smolts go down to the sea at one year, a certain percentage remain in the rivers until two and even a small numbtr until three years old. If there is such a difference in the age of the smolts on going down to the sea I should think it likely that there would be a wide divergence in the ages of fish returning from the sea. Even the ar-ticle quoted states that all the marked fish recaught did not behave in the same manner as regards their migrations and would suggest that there may be still further differences in the times of migration among the many thousand marked fish unaccounted for. Fore these reasons, and many more that might be adduced, I still think that the life history of all salmon has still a great deal of light to be shed on it, before we can state positively _any general rules governing their migrations. To illustrate my doubts that the migrations of Californian Salmon have heen conclusively settled by " K's" authority, 1 would call his attention to his own quotations:—"All red salmon leave the rivers and bays for the deep salt water when they are one year old. There they remain until they are five (since amended to four) years old, when they return to their native haunts." He further on quotes:—"Thes« fish average about IBlbs or 201bs each in weight, and are often taken weighing 401bs or 501bs each. He further states, in his last letter, "that they spawn only twice (amended to puce) and* then die," "a statement with which I

agree in the majoriy of cases in the very : long and rough American rivers Now all salmon spawn at 4 years old and then die, it follows that there are no salmon over 4 years old. I would suggest that ib is improbable that fish of 181bs and of 501bs and even higher weighs, are eu the same age. „ . , , ] The whole subject is of the greatest interest, but we have not the materials here, and ibhe subject is too big to discuss in the papers by letter writing. My object in writing again as to try and show that the subject is by no means exhausted and there is ample scope for extensive investigation on the life history of all our sea going salmonidae. Especially interesting is the opportunity we have for observing any differences in habit, etc., ot fish introduced from the Northern Hemisphere to see how they behave in their new environment as they can have no hereditary landmarks to guide them, and their breeding seasons are reversed. I would appeal to anglers to assist "K," myself and others who are interested m trying to solve some of the problems which are set us.—T am etc., 8.. M. MOORHOUSR