SHAGS AND TROUT.

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 140, 11 December 1930, Page 11

SHAGS AND TROUT.

AN OBSERVER'S EVIDENCE

The depredations which front are subjected to by shags was referred to at last night's meeting of the Wellington Acclimatisation Soeie-ty when members were strongly of the opinion that war should be declared on these birds, in the interests of the trout.

A. communication from tho secretary of "the Eketahuna sub-committee included a portion of a letter from a man who had shot 31 shags on the Mangahao and Mangatainoka Rivers, and vouched for the fact that they lived on trout. "On one occasion," he wrote, "I saw eleven shags go.into the river, and while I was waiting for them to come.within gunshot I saw five of them catch a fish each. When they rose I shot two, and one of them had a trout 12Jin long in it, and the other had live smaller ones. Five days later I shot one with six trout in jt, from 53in to 7^in loug. I have never shot a shag with an eel in it. It is not a case- of do shags cat trout, but how many a day. It would take too long to describe the stomach contents of all these shags. " Another Wellington sportsman wroto to the society as follows:— "What wo shall find in the shag's gullet depends for the most part upon tho time of year lie is taken. I do not think it will be contended that ho lives'on eels all winter, as there arc almost none—the few remaining being the 'yellow bellies,' which lie up under cover in deep holes. Ino doubt the shag is very fond of eels, but as they are- nocturnal Jish ho has difficulty in getting them. His favourite col is the common 'yellow belly,' \yhich is tho most beautiful of the-'ten varieties that I know of. Of all the eels this one prefers the muddy back waters (where trout do not go), has the smallest mouth, and does not grow to a large size. They may take trout, but I have never yet found a trout in this eel's belly. They like still water and mud, not gravel and rapids, so I conclude they are not the worst on trout ova."