ACCLIMATISATION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXIX, Issue 20103, 9 May 1935, Page 11

ACCLIMATISATION

SOUTH CANTERBURY SOCIETY MEETING OF COMMITTEE The monthly meeting of the Council of the South Canterbury Acclimatisation Society was held on Tuesday, Mr J. McDonald presiding. The Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs advised that it had been decided to make a contribution of £2OOO toward opossum ranging and fresh water fish research. Of this amount, £SOO was being paid to the New' Zealand Acclimatisation Association for fresh water fish research. The South Canterbury Society’s allocation of the balance was £ls/6/10. The Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs asked for the Society’s recommendation as to ail open season for opossums in its district this year. It was decided to apply for the month of June.

A statement of income and expenditure for the year ending March 31, showed that the income totalled £IOB2, as against £IO3B last year. The principal items were fishing licenses, £BO3, compared with £760 last year, and game licenses, £132, against £lls. The expenditure totalled £ll7O, compared with £ll9O last year.' The deficit on the year’s working was £B3, compared with £152 for the preceding 12 months. The balances were as follow, totals for the preceding 12 months being given in parenthesis:—Bank, £144/17/5 (£137 14/5); Post Office, £532/13/6 (£517/5/6); Fareora loan, £3O/5/- (£62/10/-); totals, £707/15/11 (£717/9/11). The chairman said the Council could congratulate itself on the smaller deficit this year.

The advisability of further stocking of Lake Alexandrina with Taupo fry was urged by Mr J. H. Smillie. He contended that the fish being caught this year were from Taupo fry. Several fishermen had asked him why the Society was not putting Taupo fry in the lake this year. There was any amount of room in Lake Alexandrina for twice the present supply. “I think you will find it a fairly thorny question at the annual meeting, as I'll raise it myself,” he added. The chairman: You can re-open the matter if you like. Mr Smillie: I’m leaving it to the annual meeting, as I think it will be beaten this evening. After further discussion, however, he moved that 100,000 Taupo eyed ova be secured. Mr H. S. Ellis seconded the motion. Mr C. H. Coxhead said he would support the motion if it was not going to cost too much. Mr L. B. James said he was in favour .of stocking the lake, but he did not think it was necessary to go so far afield as Taupo. The chairman contended there was no advantage in selling their own ova and buying ova from other sources. The secretary. Mr B. Hughes, said 1,071,000 fry had’been liberated in Lake Alexandrina during the past five years, and 450,000 of them were Taupo fry. Mr James: It’s time one or two of them were caught. It had been proved that in the lower types of animal and fish life, a change of blood was not necessary, said the chairman. “Why has Lake Alexandrina improved so much this last two years?” queried Mr Smillie. “Because we have liberated 1,071,000 fry there,” said Mr James. “Including 450.000 Taupo fry,” remarked Mr Smillie. The motion was lost, the mover and : seconder alone supporting it. The Curator-Ranger, Mr F. W. Pellett, reported that a permanent concrete block had been erected at Scott’s Creek. This block would last for years i and do good work. Traps would be set . in the Opihi and Orari rivers and brown trout ova to the extent of

500,000 would be hatched out. Rainbow ova orders would be filled and local requirements hatched out. Three breaches of the Game Act were detected. One man was warned for carrying a firearm on a sanctuary. One man was warned for fishing without a license.