ATLANTIC SALMON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17292, 6 March 1924, Page 12

ATLANTIC SALMON.

AN INTERESTING ADDRESS.

An interesting address on salmon, entitled “ Salmo salar at Home and Abroad,” was given at a meeting of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury last evening by Air M. H. Godby, the president. After expressing his appreciation ot the honour conferred upon him by electing him president of the institute. Mr Godby said that the customary course of the president to address the society on recent advances in some branch of science was denied to him, and he therefore turned to a subject that had been to some extent liis hobby for the last few years. This year was the diamond jubilee of the successful transportation of live salmon and trout ova to Tasmania. He therefore thought it not inappropriate to say something about Salmo salar (Atlantic ’ salmon) in his native haunts, and the long list of attempts to introduce the species to Tasmania and New Zealand and the measure of success which had only recently been attained. The fish appeared to have originated in the North Atlantic, which was its present habitat. It was found on the American side as far south as Cape Cod. and extended in a northerly direction to Hudson Bay, Greenland, Iceland, thje British Isles. Norway and Sweden, and down the western coast of Europe as far as the Bay of Biscay, entering all suitable rivers to spawn. There was evidence of its existence in the past in the waters of the Mediterranean. That salmon spawned in fresh water about October and November had been well known for many years, hut it- was only in the early sixties that- the little fish called “ parr,” so common in many rivers, were definitely proved to be young salmon. The lecturer dealt at length with the attempts to introduce salmon and trout ova to Australia, and of the many disappointments suffered. The first trout was hatched in Tasmania on Alay -1. 1864 and on the following day the first salmon was hatched. The introduction of trout to the antipodes was successful, but with salmon there was a different story. The young fish flourished and descended to the sea as smolts, and were never seen again. This, the history of the first shipment, had been the history of every shipment since, whether to Australia or New Zealand, until quite recent times. Partial success had been attained at last bv importing large quantities of ova at a time and liberating all the fry in the one river. After dealing with the differences between salmor. and trout, the lecturer referred to the difficulty of distinguishing l>etween some New Zealand salmon and trout, and suggested, as a possible solution. that crossing between salmon and trout had occurred. On the motion of Dr Higendorf, Air Godbv was accorded a vote of thanks for bis address.