FISHING WATERS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1713, 2 April 1913, Page 8

FISHING WATERS.

DIVIDED CONTROL, j A CHANGE TO TAKE PLACEj STATEMENT BY THE HON. H. D ( BELL, (By Telegraph.—Press 'Association.) Auckland, April 1. A peculiar divisiou o£ authority ovet tlio fishing waters of the Dominion exists at present. Fish in the sea and those in the rivers are all controlled by tho Marino Department. Thoso in various lakes arc under the authority of the Tourist Department. Tho Hon. H. D. Bell (Minister for Internal Affairs) told a "Herald" reporter this evening that this state of affairs was shortly to bo changed,- and that all fish in fresh water wore to be brought under the control of tho Department of Internal ,• Affairs. extension of the Marino Department's jurisdiction into rivers, ho explained, had its origin in the difficulty _ experienced in determining where certain -rivers stopned and tho sea be"an. For instance, it was a pbint much to bo argued whether an estuary was a river. lr , R" a ™ the f.ea, and another whether the tidal part of a stream was tho_ sea or not;- and these questions were ot importance in viow of tho amount of hslung done in river mouths. The simplest solution seemed to be to give th« Marino Department control. 0 f the whole river from mouth to source. The Minis, ter stated that l\o had no- doubt that tho administration of fresh-water fisherl es n iii 6M P.° Department that controlled the acclimatisation affairs of the Dominion would have a'good l effect. The Who o business, would bo under an undivided expert control, and while change of administration would not the . disease which affected trout ,in Lake. toruQ, instance, tho interests of' sportsmen l could bo thoroughly, attended: i ] l j nett i n ? °t font would be better regulated, and lie had 110 doubt that-bet-' ter arrangomcnts for transnorj; of fresh fVi 5 T! ,d H made. The control of the sea fisheries, the Minis-' tor said, would remain as' before with' the Mjinne Department. ■ »