H.—ls

20

There is a good fixing of young oysters on tie rock walls built in Putiki and Brown's Bays, Waiheke Island, and in Te Kumu Bay and other places on the Coromandel coast there is a good showing of young oysters this season. Toheroa-beds. —North Kaipara beach beds : Nos. 1 and 2 leased areas are well stocked, and although these areas have been worked without a rest for the last five years they are reported by the Inspector to be in good condition. From Glink's Gap reserve to some distance north of Mahutu Gap there has been a heavy spawning during the last two years, and the beds are fast recovering from the depleted condition they were in some years ago. The lessees of the beds on the Ninety-mile Beach between Ahipara and Scott's Point have now got their canning-factory in full working-order, and they report a successful season, and toheroas plentiful all over their sections of the beach. Atlantic Salmon.—These fish continue to show a satisfactory increase in the Waiau River and its tributaries. The number caught by anglers in Te Anau Lake and its tributaries shows a considerable increase oil the previous season's catch. The number taken in the lower reaches of the Waiau did not, however, come up to the number caught in 1924. The salmon-angling is proving a great attraction to visitors to Te Anau, and sportsmen from all over the Dominion have visited the district for the salmon-fishing and have been well satisfied with the sport they got. On account of unfavourable weather and floods during the spawning season the quantity of eggs collected did not come up to the previous season's total. In his report on the season's work the Assistant Inspector, who was in charge, says : " Collecting operations in the Upokororo River were continued until the 18th September, when the nets were again washed out. This was the seventh occasion on which the nets were swept away or had to be removed because of floods. The results for the season's work are not as good as anticipated, but, as pointed out in my previous report, continuous floods caused an immense amount of hard, cold work for a minimum result. Another season, however, conditions may be the reverse, when we can look forward to obtaining probably a million eggs with less hardship and less cost." The number of eggs collected was 454,000, and the total fish handled was 129, of which 76 were females and 53 males. It will be noticed that the largest proportion of the fish were females. The same condition existed last season, and is a very unusual thing with spawning salmon or trout, the reverse usually being the case. The eggs collected were all sent to the Department's hatchery on the Wanganui River. They hatched out exceptionally well, and the young fry, which were fine vigorous young fish, were liberated in tributaries of the river. Quinnat Salmon.—Last spawning season the weather and river conditions were most unfavourable for the collection of eggs. The Assistant Inspector in his report says : — " The collection camps were again established on the Dobson and Ahuriri Rivers, and the Hakataramea was also worked by the staff at the Hakataramea Hatchery. The men for the Dobson went into camp on the 4th April, and the gang for the Ahuriri on the 10th. " I regret to report that at both these stations which in other seasons have been so successful were this year a comparative failure. The season was a continued succession of nor'-west rains, which caused those rivers to flood heavily and kept them too high to work, causing a large amount of extra work, considerable hardship, and loss of material. " On the 10th May I went to the Dobson to inspect the work, and finding the rivers still high and salmon not as plentiful as in other seasons, and there being little prospect of getting a payable quantity of eggs, I decided to abandon the work there for this season. " At the Ahuriri salmon were more plentiful, but not in as large numbers as in previous seasons, and a great deal of time was lost by floods. The nor'-west rains do not affect the Hakataramea River to the same extent —in fact, they were rather beneficial than otherwise, and we had the best season experienced for some years. " The following is the total of eggs collected : Dobson, 40,000 ; Ahuriri, 293,000 ; Hakataramea, 431,000 : total, 764,000. " These eggs were distributed as follows : Wairau (Marlborough), 600,000 ; Hokitika, 150,000 ; and the balance were hatched out at Hakataramea and the young fish liberated in that river." Curing and smoking of salmon was attempted for the first time at the Hakataramea Station this season, but owing to the adverse conditions already mentioned in this report the quantity of fish handled was limited. This season the Department decided to allow netting for salmon in the Waimakariri, Rakaia, Rangitata, and Waitaki Rivers, and also allow anglers holding trout-fishing licenses to sell their catch of salmon, and the following licenses were issued : For the Waimakariri, five netting licenses and three anglers' selling licenses ; for the Rangitata, one netting license and two anglers' selling licenses ; for the Rakaia, six anglers' selling licenses. In the Waimakariri River 190 salmon were taken and sold by the netters, and 11 by the three anglers who held selling licenses, making a total of 201, and the weight 552 lb. No returns are yet to hand from the other rivers. An effort was, made by the Department to catch salmon for market from the tideway of the Clutha River. Two experienced men were employed and worked both branches of the river from the 12th March to the 16th April, but were practically unsuccessful in getting salmon. This river is a very difficult one to net, for even when in normal condition it carries a very heavy body of water, and at ebb tide the current is so strong that it is difficult to hold set-nets ; besides, branches of trees, logs, and debris from flax-mills block the nets. It is also very difficult to find a clear bottom for a hauling-net, as in most places it is full of snags.