WONDERFUL FISHING

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 19512, 15 February 1926, Page 11

WONDERFUL FISHING

SALMON IN NEW ZEALAND. COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITIES. Dr. C. TI. Gilbert, Professor of Zoology at Stanford University, California, and Mr John P. Babcock, of Victoria, British Columbia, chairman of the International Fisheries Commission, and executive officer of the British Columbia Fisheries Department, and are enthusiastic about their North Island tour. Dr. Gilbert is a high authority on the life history of the Pacific salmon. Air Babcock has been associated with him for 40 years. Both arc loud in their praises of the scenery of Taupo, Rotorua, the Wanganui River, and the Waitomo Caves. “We stopped ofT one day for fishing at Taupo,” said Air Babcock. “You are truly warranted in claiming for Taupo that it has the best trout-fish-ing waters in the world. I have fished,” he continued, “in most North American waters, and none of them has produced so many and such large trout. In seven hours we took 21 fish that weighed 971 b. The largest weighed 71b. and the, smallest 211 b. We saw a fish that weighed 131 b., which was taken that day with a fly, and we were assured that the day before that, one rod had taken 60 trout, which weighed 321 lb. I know of no waters that will afford as good catches. “The glow worms of the Waitomo Caves are the eighth wonder of the world,” remarked Mr Babcock. “In this respect the eaves are one of the most novel exhibitions of life afforded anywhere. We have been most fortunate in having Air Ayson’s company down the Wanganui River and we hope ho may go south with us. We have long been familiar with Mr Ayson’s work in New Zealand and his success in introducing and establishing our P.'icific salmon in your waters has attracted world-wide attention. It is the only case, ho added with emphasis, “in which the quinnat salmon have been successfully acclimatised in waters others than on the Pacific Coast of North America. Repeated efforts have been made to introduce them into Atlantic waters, but without success. Though distinct from the true salmon, the salmo sal ar of Europe and the Atlantic waters of North America, they are the finest of all salmon, and are one of the best food fishes known, and one of the gamest fish as well. The reports that they will not take a fly in fresh water is without foundation, for many have boon taken in our waters with a fly, and they take a spoon readily in fresh and salt waters. There are several hundred professional fishermen in British Columbia who fish for the market by trolling in salt waters and they catch many thousands of quinnat that run from 251 b. to 601 b. in weight.’ ’

New Zealand’s Problem. “Tn British Columbia alone the market value of the salmon industry is from 13,000,000 to 15,000,000 dollars a year. Our problem on the Pacific coast has been to uonserve the salmon runs we have. Your problem in New Zealand has been to aeclinjatise the fish and to build up the industry to the greatest possible extent. Your immediate desire should not be to catch out what you have got, but to let the fish go ahead until they increase in vast numbers as they possibly may, in equal numbers to your trout. If you can build up big runs of salmon in your rivers you will have the most valuable food fish in the world. The fact that you have brought the fish out and have them established here —for they have been caught in numbers in your rivers—shows that the conditions in New Zealand are more or less favourable. The only question then is how great the runs of salmon will be in your rivers. There is a limit of production in any watershed, just as there is a limit to a stock range, and that is the limit of food and of the feeding ground.” Atlantic Salmon. “The question of the acclimatisation and establishment of Atlantic, salmon is a matter of more than New Zealand interest. The United States Govern ment and the Governments of Oregon, .Washington, California, and British Columbia have been trying for 20 years to establish the Atlantic, salmon in the waters of their several territories, and outside of a few adult specimens which have been taken in British Columbia, the efforts have not been successful. Although we are still hopeful of success, on the other hand wc have been assured that numerous adult specimens have been taken iu different rivers in New Zealand.”