POACHING RAMPANT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16586, 19 November 1921, Page 10

POACHING RAMPANT.

- ♦ j POSITION IN CANTERBURY.

“ Poaching is rampant in Canterbury,” said an official of the Acclimatisation Society yesterday, referring to complaints on the subject made by the Chief Inspector of Fisheries concerning the Wellington district. The inspector said that gam© birds, both native and imported, are being shot without a license, and out of season, native pigeons and other birds wholly protected are shot indiscriminately, while trout and salmon are -killed wholesale by explosives and other moans. There is also reported to be wholesale destruction in the spawning beds during . the breeding season. “Stricter supervision and heavier penalties are absolutely necessary,” said a sportsman. “It is an ill-oon-cealed secret that hundreds of trout poached ’ from Lake Ellesmere are sold in Christchurch and in the country districts. A serious attempt should be made to wipe out the evil otherwise New Zealand's attraction as a fishing resort will wither away. Acclimatisation costs money, but it would be revenue producing if there were more clean sports in the country. Poachers should be branded as thieves. They belong to the ‘ mean thief ’ class.'* Mr C. W. Hervev, secretary of th© Canterbury Acclimatisation Society, said that he could confirm the statement that men employed on relief works were blamed for killing fish by the use of explosives in th© streams. A great deal qf poaching went on, and his society was offering a reward of £lO to anyone “ giving information which leads to the conviction of any person taking or destroying fish by means of any explosive or chemical.” The societv received virtually all its income from the sale of fishing licenses, and that money was not only used to pay rangers to protect fish. but. it was also used for the protection of game. Yet the society received nothing for looking after game, with the exception of a few pounds from imported game licenses. The society had always been in favour of native game licenses, but so far nothing had been done in this direction, arid ill** result that. nw : ri" to rtv»*»ll r r ‘ T ’** r,l, ° the given to game and fish was inadequate. More rangers should he appointed.