RAPID SPREAD OF SALMON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16713, 20 April 1922, Page 8

RAPID SPREAD OF SALMON.

MANY GOOD CATCHES Advices from the South Island go to show that the Government’s efforts to stock the New Zealand rivers with salmon have proved highly successful, and latest reports to hand state that the salmon are spreading rapidly in the waters of the South Island. Air L. F. Arson, Chief Inspector of Fisheries, showed a “Dominion’’ reporter last week a photograph of a fine catch of eleven salmon, secured by Mr Main, of Tiniaru. and Mr Alain, of Temuka. and a friend, in one dav m the Raugitata River. The largest fish weighed 281 b, and * there were others in the creel weighing 251 b and 221 b. The run this year, said All* Arson, seemed A' have been equal to that of last »*>son. when an exceptionally large number came up. although it was not up to the run of 1917, when they seemed to take the bait freely. The salmon during the last two years have been in better condition, and this Mr Arson considers may have something to clo with the fish not taking the bait so freely. The catches of salmon by anglers up to last season, the inspector of fisheries explained, was principally confined to the Waitaki and Rangitara, Hirers, with an occasional fish taken in the Baknia. This season there have Keen a number caught in the Rakain, Waimakariri and Hurunui. As showing the fine condition the fish are in, Air Arson stated that, be had received word from the Acclimatisation Society’s hatchery at Christchurch to the effect that that officer had been asked to mount one caught at the mouth of the Rakaia, which scaled 381 b. This wont to show how rapidly the salmon were spreading, and large numbers of mature fish arc showing up as far north as Waiau. The Afarine Department, Air Avson stated, has now in hand preparations for stocking the Hokitika River in the West Coast, the Wairan in Marlborough, and the Clutha River. The policy of the Department had been —and the results seem /to prove that the policy is the right one—to go in for intense stocking in every river chosen. That is, the young fish are liberated in large numbers. Last season half a million “eyed” eggs were forwarded from tho Government hatchery at Hakataramea* and hatched out at the Department's temporary hatcheries in each of these rivers. As soon as the Department has .« surplus of eggs over what it required for these rivers, it will commence operations on some other suitable rivers, both in the North and South Islands.

The spawning season has now commenced for this year, and from the reports of the run of fish which has come into the Waitaki from January up to the present time it is expected that a very large quantity of eggs will be taken, provided the river conditions for netting in the tributaries of the Waitaki are favourable. The manager of the Government salmon station at Hakataramea is now operating three collecting stations —one on the Hakataramea River, one on the Ahunri River, and coe on the Dobson, about, twelve miles beyond the head of Lake Ohau.

During th© last two years, said Air Ayson, a few Atlantic salmon smolts hav© been taken by trout anglers near t he north of the Waiau River in Southland. The fact that these young salmon have been taken, he' considers, proves that mature parent fish have during the Inst tew years spawned somewhere in the headwaters of tho Waiau. The last salmon liberated in the Waiau was in 1911. In 1910 and 1911 the Government imported each >enr a million salmon eggs from Great Britain. These eggs had skilled attention on the voyage out, and arrived without a loss or not more than one per cent. The young fish, upon being l atched out, were liberated in streams flowing into Te Anau Lake and the White Stone River. “It appears clear,” concluded tho Chief Inspector of Fisheries, “ that the presence of salmon smolts in the Waiau is the result of the intense stocking done by the Government in 1910 and 1911.”