TROUT RIVERS DEPLETED

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19373, 23 December 1932, Page 14

TROUT RIVERS DEPLETED

RESTRICTIONS ON ANGLERS SUGGESTED. Restriction of the hours for angling and on the size of the bags taken war, advocated at the meeting of the Council of the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, with a view to preventing North Canterbury rivers from becoming, further depleted of fish of any size. The meeting appointed a sub-committee to bring down a report to the next meeting. The development of motor traffic was given as one of the main reasons for the scarcity of well-grown fish, the motor-car enabling more and more anglers to spend a greater amount of time along the rivers. One member compalined that the “hoggish idea of big bags,” instead of the idea of angling as a sport, was a reason for the depletion; and another member declared that an increasing amount of poaching was one of the primary causes. The subject was broached by Mr C. H. Lawrence, who said that recent reports had indicated that the North Canterbury rivers could not provide good sport. Worse than for Many Years. "Our fishing in North Canterbury is rotten and has been worse than for a ' considerable number of years,” de- [ dared Mr Lawrence. “It is not the fault of the successive councils which have endeavoured to provide sport. The greater number of fishing hours due to the development of motor-car traffic has brought this about. Some restriction on the fishing, though re- ; pugnant to many anglers, is necessary, j We must inculcate in the anglers of the society a desire for fishing rather than big bags. Complaints of the paucity of good fishing have impressed it on me that we must restrict either the hours of fishing or the bags.” Mr C. R. Russell said that there would have to be either restriction or no fish. Motor-cars had enabled anglers to get to the grounds much earlier The council should tackle the problem as soon as possible. The previous council, said Mr F. ' Steans, had imposed a restriction but had rescinded that motion a month later, to the regret of many members. He agreed that something should be done. Poaching and Flood Menace. Poaching was on the increase, stated Mr P. J. Molloy, and the fish that poachers could not catch they killed with gelignite. There was wholesale slaughter going on in poaching, and i the depletion of the rivers should net j be blamed entirely on the anglers. Mr C. J. Holsey said that some ang- i lers "talked all over the town” of 1 catching up to forty fish in one night I in the Ashley. Some anglers stated j that they had caught from 250 to 300 fish this season. Those, and .not i the poachers, were the men respon- | sible for the depletion of the rivers. The flood menace was one of the greatest factors in the destruction of fish, said Mr H. T. Stubberfield. After a fresh the receding waters left the fish high and dry when caught in pools. “I don’t think that we are doing the best for anglers,” stated Mr Lawrence. “We must get down to it, even if we lose our seats, for which I do not care at all. We want to inculcate the idea of angling instead of the hoggish idea of big bags. We .are the only major society which has no restrictions, and if we appeal to the anglers they will be behind us wholeheartedly.”

The president (Mr L. A. Shand) said that from thirty years’ experience of fishing in the Cam he could say that there were as many fish there as ever, but they were not so large. He favoured some form of restriction and would go so far as to suggest a close season.

A sub-committee consisting of the chairman and Messrs Lawrence, Molloy, Russell, Stubberfield and Steans was appointed to bring down a report to the next meeting.