SEA-FEEDING SHAGS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 134, 3 December 1938, Page 9

SEA-FEEDING SHAGS

IGNORANT ENMITY

NOT ENEMIES OF TROUT

"There is a very mistaken notion among many members of acclimatisation societies that all species of shags prey on trout," said Captain E. V. Sanderson, president of the Forest and Bird Protection Society, at a recent meeting of the executive. "The relentless destruction of native shags by societies and the Department of Internal Affairs, which' controls the Rotorua acclimatisation district, is not justifiable.

"In a recent issue of an Auckland paper, a photograph appears showing the shag bag secured by some misinformed shootists. The birds, so far as can be recognised in the picture, are all pied shags/ which are marine feeders.

"An article in a Southland paper states that a ranger had shot 450 shags. One wonders how many of these belonged to protected species or species non-harmful to trout. The black river shag is the only species which may be harmful to fresh-water fish, and there are very well-informed people who affirm that this species is beneficial to trout, despite the fact that it does eat some.

"The press reports about shag shoots sound like the story of the pogrom against the Jews in Germany. Surely it is cowardly to shoot these defenceless birds on their nests, yet the perpetrators of these acts appear to present their names to the public' as heroes." HABITS OF PIED SHAG. The speaker quoted the following opinions on the habits of the pied shag from the writings of ornithologists:— "It is essentially a salt-water species, feeding offshore and returning to the mainland, op to some island, to roost."—Edgar F. Stead. "Fishes mostly taken along the sea coast form its principal food. It visits its fishing grounds daily, returning in the evening to roost on the trees in which it was reared."—W. R. B. Oliver. "Its food consists mainly of fish of every marine species, but it is not one of the shags with which acclimatisation societies need be concerned in regard to the problem of shags and trout."—R. A. Falla.

"It was decided to send to the Hon. W. E. Parry, Minister of Internal Affairs, a letter protesting against the indiscriminate war waged against shags.