EELS AND POACHERS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2161, 29 May 1914, Page 5

EELS AND POACHERS

trout. :■ DISCUSSED Bf SPORTSMEN. ■■.•'■Two enemies, of . taxut-eei.s ami poiicltei's—gavo riso to A good deal of n, ii- at t,,M a il .mooting fl f the Wellington j Acclimatisation Society. AkMiibci-s generally agreed that eels wen.' increasing in tho trout stroajns at an -farming rate, but while some of them attributed the increase to the fact that eels wore wo longer pursued by Moons with tho same eagerness as m bygone days, others considered that it was due. is the fact that the oeis were now supplied with a plentiful supply or toad in the shape c>l succulent -yemls trout. ■ Mr, l\ Dyer directed attention to the ■ peaobing of fishing streams-by me&ne <rf esplosivea, and $aid that lie had come afiross evidences of considerable havoc cau.s-ed in this way.' Both reset", : vpirs at Wainui, ho also stated, were, great bfceding places for eels, aiid ; the pools in the stream below liad .bseft depleted of trout. The Dyrtamitafd. The chairman (Mr. L..0. H. Tripp) said that tbero was no ffcmijt tliat a gflod deal of poaching by- means of osPtySiveij was going 6n« Tho eyidence taken in the unfortunate explosion ease at tipper gutt demonstrated the fact conclusively. He hoped that magistrates wouid.'raoet the situation by inflicting heavy peftaltk-s. Jβ the softtii, as much as.three months' inijttisQiirnerit had been awarded to an tfffenbW caught dynamiting fish. Poaching was fairiy etna-moil both- in. the Makata and - Wainui streams. . . In the course of a discussion which fottewed, ii Was suggested that the eel ■pioolem tatgist' be solved bv smoking these fish and putting tiew oa the mar-, ket. It was stated that smoked «*' s . Bold iii the Old Coaittjy for as touch as 15..61. and Is. Bd. a flottiid. ' . ' , . Wr. A, f. Jjowe said that eels' absolutely would hot freeze '{for: export), and another member ineniiqiied that a trial shipment of frozen eels dispatched- ; froai Port Chalmers some years .ago turned out % failure.

HIM fo th.o P&lka. • 3lr, J, Holmes suggested ■ that' a stjoag deputation should wait ujnoti.the. Government to ask tliat the *. polieo Aheiild be instmcted to put down.poaotiiftg. He had sceft policeitton taking a band in poadiingj and a policeman looked upon it as iiofi* of his business to apprehend poachers. Tti« police, he contended, should be as keen in putting down poa-clihig as in putting down stealing. : ' . Mr. Trip?) said' that the matter had been bwught ttiiday. tlw. notice of the last GoverMue-nti with the result that iiistructießs were , givmi fa police to assist tlio Aeelimatisatioii Sfloicty. ~ Mr. Bohs-oS; I am 'afraid 'they were not carried out.' Mr.'Tripp: In matis? cases some of tlio police have given -tie -frhc greatest assist* aace. . ■■ .••■.'• : ' . 3lr. .Sohnes; Vwy glad to hear rt, Mr. T;dpjs said that some policemen. were very fccen- fisheWieit, a«d did'their verv best.to put cfowa , r)oaehii»g. -. Bo agreed, howft-ver. that it would be a Rood.Mtit to agahi seek, the of tho fiQlice. In aiisiver to Sir. HolmcsV. Mr. Tripj* sairj that> he censiclefdt it would bo An BXceikut idea to ofer a reward for. the .ftppfclisiisfc.n of people' who _ peaehfld with dynaajtc or other esplosives. .-.i •

-•"''' StoDklfti* tbo Rivers, Some tliseussioit tor>k places as .to wltether tb/jeas the best policy to Ifterat? trout fry ih'tliestfeanis or to 'liberate yearling trout. The fch'airmnn said, thiit "it was the policy of tho society to keep as many fry is'the- poflcfe at Mastekrti, for yearlings, sis possible, so that yearlines, as well as fry, ftiglit te ktrticd out".. It was an open question which was the. best policy, to adopt, Be had himself always been trotter the ImpresBkm that; it was test to twra <rat as raaity yearlings as poss'ibltj, bat Mr. Bceftain, wSjo know more about the fiiattef than he did, took tho opposite yk*. Mr. Berthatii afgnbd that fry would, im* rnediaiuly begin to laok after themselves and would got under the stones whoFo they were less likely-to be.caugnt by feds,- Yeariijigs, on tlie othftr hand, were practically tnttie fisbj and for wan? rlays after they gokintfl the riy-ws (Ktl uot know hew to look after tlieniseh'ps aitd \ver<! very apt to bo oasight bv the «els. . The Wellington Society, Mr. Tripp retoarked, isi eenihisioii, was libwatiflT botli yearling trmib and fry so.that it eoultl not iiD doing wfpnp. Sir. A. F. Ijowe said that petseiially he was a clistiplc of Mt. Beetliam's anil believed m the p&lifiy of stocking the rivers *itli fry rather tha.H with yearlings. Raising yearlings . was an mpensire matter and not very many could be .turned «t.Mr. Holmes said that in the QIsJ Cflttntry the .rivets were always stofiked with.yearlings or .two-ysarKi-l'ds. Wonderful MSijlts had been aitsiiniat in New Zealand by lih»ratin« fry, but this was wi %'irgin streams. N T uw thi; adult trout in tho rivojvs ate tlit> young oiies. Mr, A. T. Bate i-nised tk* of declarrat; the Waikanae a Hy4shiiiE stream and stated that it had greatly deteriorated from ike fisherman's -point of view .and that uwnj of the isedls wero -fui] of- eels. The eliairman said that , the question ofaeclarmg tho Wsfenae s flv-fish-mg stream was twtier eonsideratjoa