THE PIONEERS OF TROUT ACCLIMATISATION IN CANTERBURY.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVI, Issue III, 18 January 1896, Page 61

THE PIONEERS OF TROUT ACCLIMATISATION IN CANTERBURY.

THE following letters,which I have received through the kindness of Mr Reginald Foster, one of the first of those who went to so much trouble and expense in stocking the lakes and rivers of the Canterbury mountain country with trout, shows something of what was done for acclimatisation in the early days. I think if the young New Zealanders, who enjoy the sport of catching fish which their fathers introduced at such cost, would follow their example and take some trouble to assist acclimatisation, we should soon be able to have in New Zealand as good all-round sport as is to be found in any country. Trout may be said to be thoroughly established here, and I, as one who has enjoyed many a pleasant day’s fishing, offer my thanks to those men who firststockedourrivers. I hope that attention will be given to many other kinds of game, both fish and fowl, to deer and other things, and that New Zealanders will recognise in this work a duty to their country, to themselves as true sportsmen, and to posterity which may love sport. The letters which follow are in response to my special request, and show how men have spared neither labour nor expense in the work of acclimatisation, and not only in the mere introduction, but in the after care and attention so necessary to the undertaking. Mr Reginald Foster writes me as follows :— ‘ I believe that the first attempt to stock the mountain lakes and rivers of Canterbury with trout was made by the late Hon. Josh. Hawdon, M.L.C., one of the pioneers of Australia. Mr Hawdon was a thorough sportsman, and when he took up his residence in Canterbury, showed great interest in the acclimatisation of fish, pheasants, partridges, etc. In October, 1870, Mr Hawdon took too trout fry from the Christchurch hatching ponds for the purpose of stocking Lake Grasmere in the Upper Waimakariri basin. Mr Hawdon went to considerable trouble and expense in providing relays of horses in order to get the fish over the critical portion of the journey as quickly as possible, that was across the plains to the first mountain stream, the Kowai river, some 40 miles. Jars of water were taken in the vehicle with which to renew the water in the cans every hour or so, and an india rubber ball with tube attached was used for

aerating the water in the cans. All these precautions were considered necessary, this being the first effort to transport trout to any distance, and the result so far was most satisfactory, for the Kowai river, just beyond the present Springfield Railway Station, was reached without the loss of a fish. From thence over Porter's Pass to Mr Hawdon's homestead. Grassmere, some 32 miles, the work was easy, there being mountain streams every two or three miles, and the fish were landed at Grassmere without the loss of even one. But after this splendid success most unfortunately bad counsels prevailed, for notwithstanding Mr Johnson, who was as eager for success as Mr Hawdon himself, urging that the trout fry should not be fed but turned out in Lake Grassmere as quickly as possible, Mr Hawdon decided to go on past the lake to the station about two miles, where the trout were regaled with maggots off a sheepskin, the result being that all but one turned up, and Mr John D. Enys, then of Castle Hill in the Hokitika Road, but now of Enys in Cornwall, took the one trout down to Lake Grasmere, and thus had the honour of putting the first trout into a Canterbury mountain lake. What became of this unfortunate celibate fish will probably never be known. In November, 1873, Mr Reginald F'oster. of Avoca and Cra'gieburn. made the second effort to stock the Upper Waimakariri waters. He took from the Christchurch ponds 102 trout fry, and succeeded in landing them at Craigieburn with the loss of only one. They were then placed in a small artificial pond and kept there until the following November, when those that had escaped the shags—a few being lost in the mud in catching them—to the number of 58 were nut into Lake Pearson. The following year. 1874. Mr Foster took another lot of 300 in one can much against the advice of Mr Johnson . However, not one was lost. These were distributed as follows :—Lake Lyndon, 25 ; Broken River, 25 ; Sloven's Creek. 20 ; Lake Pearson, roo ; Lake Grasmere. 50. The late Mr John Cochrane, and Mr White, took 50 and put them in Lake Letitia, and Mr Bruce, of Cora Lynn, near the Bealey, took 25 over Arthur’s Pass to the paddock on the Teremakau. In every instance these fish established themselves, and there is now an abundance of trout in the Upper Waimakariri waters.'

‘ Fendalton ‘ November 23rd, 1595. 1 Reginald Foster, Esq. 1 Dear Sir.—As you have expressed a desire to hear from me how and when trout were first introduced into Lake Heron, I have much pleasure in sending you the following particulars In the year 1872 my friend, the late G. C. Nixon (then manager of Alford Station), and myself decided that we would try to put trout into that fine sheet of water on the bank of which I was then living. We accordingly at our joint expense procured from the Acclimatisation Society, Christchurch, eightysix young fry of that season's hatch, then about an inch in length, and Mr Nixon brought them up in his buggy to Lake Heron, taking, I think, three days on the road, and he was most successful with his charge, as they all arrived alive. In the meantime. I had prepared a nursery for them, it being our intention not to turn them out at once into the lake, but to keep them where we could look after them until they had attained a sufficient size to be able to take care of themselves. The place selected was a lagoon about one acre in extent and about five feet at its greatest depth, situated within 20 yards of my house, where I thought I could protect them from the shags which then swarmed on the lake. Into this lagoon I led a constant stream of water from a neighbouring creek, and, of course, properly protected both inlet ami outlet so that they could not escape. On Mr Nixon's arrival with the fish they were at once placed in this lagoon, and great was our triumph at his successful journey. From this time they were kept in the nursery for rather more than two years, and during the latter half of that time were regularly fed. and they increased in size very fast ; but close as the lagoon was to the house I had great difficulty in preserving them from the shags, which had found them out, and were incessant in their attacks. At the end of the time mentioned, thinking that they were sufficiently large, I netted the lagoon and took out 36 fine fish, varying in weight from one and a-half to three pounds. There were five left, which we failed to catch, so that the result was 41 large fish from the 86 fry placed in the nursery. The 36 fish caught we placed in the river where it issues from the lake, having only about 200 yards to carry them in large cans. It was easily done, and thus was accomplished the stocking of Lake Heron, the results of which are well known. The following winter I saw several pairs of fish on spawning beds in the river a short distance below the lake, and the number increased each succeeding winter until thev were there in hundreds. I may mention that during the time the fish were in the nursery and for years afterwards I destroyed the shags on the lake increasingly until thev nearly abandoned it altogether, and to this I in a great measure attribute the quick increase of the fish after being turned out.—Yours faithfully. ‘ F. POLHILL.'