THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY'S FISH PONDS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3191, 20 September 1881, Page 2

THE ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY'S FISH PONDS.

Adjoining the weetern boundary of the small estate surrounding Messrs Nelson's works at Tomoana is the Acclimatisation Society's fish breeding establishment. The trout pond?, as they are familarly called, are in fact only about ten minutes' walk from Tomoana, and are immediately behind Messrs Nelson's hennery. The first tbing which attracts attention', and, indeed, guides the visitor to the ponds, is a long low building, fo reach which what appears to be a narrow shingle bottomed stream has to be crossed. Here we were met by Mr Warrilow, who has charge of the ponds, and with him we entered the building, which is constructed of palings, and is about forty feet long. At the top end there is a circular basin hollowed out of the ground, covered with concrete, in the centre of which is a strong flowing artesian well. From the basin, and running through the middle of the building, is a concrete drain leading into a little stream parallel to that we had previously crossed, and supplying it with water. Occupying the whole length of one side of the building are three tiers of wooden boxes, rising in the form of steps, the two lower tiera being about eighteen inches wide, and divided into several compartments. The upper tier is only a trough conveying water from an artesian well, at the rear of the building, to the rows of boxes beneath. Both the little streams to which we have referred, lead into a large pond about a hundred yards distant, and a smaller one close by it, in both of which the adult fish are kept. The strip of land between the two streams is laid out as a plantation, and here also is the cottage occupied by Mr Warrilow. The above description will afford an idea of the general arrangements. In the ponds there are about 150 fish, some of which have attained a very considerable size; one which was netted for our inspection would weigh about 4lbs, but we were told that there was one fully 15lbs weight. Some lumps of minced raw beef thrown into the water brought several heavy fish to the surface. Aquatic plants have been sown in the ponds, and flax and willows planted round the edges, for tbe purpose of affording shade, but in the meantime large drain pipes have been thrown in to enable the fish to get shelter from the sun's rays. The water being shallow, to facilitate cleaning out the ponds, in summer time it sets very warm.

Briefly described the breeding operations are as follow:—When the fish are about to spawn they leave the ponds and force themselves up the larger of the two streams of which we have spoken: here they are caught, and the ova stripped from them into a basin. From the basin it is placed in Suitable quantities into fine wire trays, and these are put into the second tier of wooden boxes in the building. There is a space of a few inches between the bottom of the wooden box and that of the tray, into which the little fish drop through the wire as they are hatched. They remain in the second tier boxes until they lose the abdominal bag, and, when able to to swim about they find their own way through a small streamlet hole which conducts them to the lower tier. They are then a little larger than a small pin, but they have good appetites, and have to be fed with broken biscuit and meat. From this lower box, on theii attaining sufficient strength,: they make their own way through a small run into a lesser stream, and from there they are taken out and distributed by hundreds to all parts of the province. The total number of trout bred by the Society and distributed during the last five years has been 7140.

At the first establishment of the ponds the greatest enemy to the fish was the shags, but by the aid of wires stretched over the streams protection was afforded against their rapacity. Since the Tomoana works have been started, and the,isolation of the ponds invaded, shags, have ceased paying such constant visits, and depredation from them is little feared. But if the Tomoana works have done this benefit to the ponds they have also been the means of bringing about a plague ot rats. These vermin literally swarm over the land attracted by the refuse from the boiling-down works, which is spread over the paddocks for manure. In consequence of the rat visitations it is not safe to allow the young fieh to occupy the basin and drain in the building, and to to protect them as much as possible they have to be kept in the lower boxee longer than otherwise would be the case. At a certain time they are obliged to be turned into the stream, where, chased by rats, they dive their heads under pebbles, and a large per centage becomes a prey to the voracity of the vermin. After an interesting visit, rendered exceediagly pleasant by the civility and attention of the Curator, a walk of about two miles, through Mr J. X. Williams' paddocks, brought us to Hastings, and concluded the day's trip.