ACCLIMATISATION

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXVI, Issue 3421, 18 February 1936, Page 5

ACCLIMATISATION

QUESTION OF CLOSE SEASON SOUTH AUCKLAND SOCIETY A close season for native and imported game was considered at thequarterly meeting convened by the council of the Auckland Acclimatisation Society at Huntl'y. Mr F, E. McKenzie, president, who was accompanied by Mr C. M. Gordon, secretary, and six members of the council, presided over a representative attendance of five sub-societies of the Waikato district. Mr McKenzie said the matter was very much in the air, as there was no unanimity among sub-societies. The acclimatisation society had received a reply to the council’s letter from the Minister of Internal Affairs, stating that it had been decided to accept the recommendations of the respective acclimatisation societies as to open or closed seasons in their districts this year. The question of increasing the license fee, if stated, would be bound up with, that of a universal close season and consideration of this was being deferred.

The following resolution was carried unanimously by the Huntly subsociety: This sub-society requests the parent body to increase pheasant liberations from 1000 per annum to 2000 and asks that it endeavour to breed 5000 grey duck in captivity for liberation before the end of December each year, thereby doing away with the necessity of periodical closed seasons; and to cover the cost of such increased liberation requests the Minister of Internal Affairs to increase the annual shooting licence from £1 to £1 5/-.

Mr J. Dobson, chief ranger for the Auckland district of the society, stated in a report that the storm on February 1 had affected the society’s fish hatchery near Arapuni, when rubbish and weed had floated into the pond, causing an overflow. Only a small percentage of the fish had escaped into the Waipa and Waikato rivers, but were not lost to sportsmen. About 150,000 fish, six months old, remained to be allocated. .