Angling

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 18, 14 October 1937, Page 13

Angling

"Veteran.*')

HAVOC BY SHAGS Need for Organised Shooting Expeditions MONEY WELL SPENT

(By *

Although we have ia this pro* vince at least four rivers emineotiy suitahle for trout, not one of them is heavily stocked. After eeveral disappointing seasons Hawke's Bay anglers are waking np to the fact that something must bo Wrong. Most practical anglers blame tke shag for the shortage of trout, but few have a»y definite idea of the extent of the shag's depredationa. The foL lowing extract from a letter jmtten by Mr. E. P. V. Sealy is most illuminatipg. Some years ago Mr. Sealy, now resident in Wanganui, was on© o| the most successful of the numerous angling fraternity of Oanterbury. To quote from his letter; — "Reeearch worlg nas shown. that the eel, with his noc-i turnal habits, Bupplfes only & fraction of the shag's daily rations, while ou trout and salmon provide approximate* ly 90 per cent. I propose to quote thq iilumhiating figures supjplied by Mr, H. G. Williams, of Dunedin, who in 1934 recorded having personally exam* ined, or had analysed by officials of- th^ Utago University, the stomach son* tents of 975 shags. These were iound to have contained 5171 trout, 14 perch, six small eels, 15 kokopu and 12 ma* rin© fish of various species. Mr. Williams' s records cover a period of fifteen years, and my own, which cover a termt of 12 years, show that the stomachs of 292 black and six wliite-throated shags, contained 1390 trout or young salmon, nine small eels or lampreys, 11 perch, and • sundry unrecognisable matter, These figures are unassailable, but w« have further records; The late Mr. J, E. Pigott, of Timaru, in the companj] of a friend, shot one black shag which , they found to. contain 57 trout of ur to six incheB in length. Mr. Williams records that one shag's stomach contained 31b. 12oz. of trout from four: to six inches long. Mr. E. Duncan, ranger for the Southland Acclimatisa* tion Society, advises the shooting of lff shags on February 20, 1921, at Glenpark, Otago, which were found to contain 53 trout — the largest of whicls measures 12, 14 and 19 inches in lengthj — but no trace of eels/1 Space prohibits further extracts from Mr. Sealy's excellent letter, but hers are definite facts and figures. it appears that when conditions aro f avour* able each shag will kill at loast fm * Bmall trout plr day. Deadly Methods. For the benefit of those who hav* not seen these marauders in action, their most deadly fishing methods ara those practised by- a flock, which may number from twenty to a hundred. Spreading themselves in a rough lino across the head of the pool selected, the shags work downstream, diving ani splashing with their wings through ajl the deep water. The unlucky trout ars frightened down to the shallower water at the lower end of the pool,, and in the shallows they are easily picked up by the fishermen. Thosa who have not seen a shag swiminrng under water could scarcely imagine ths speed attained by this murderous birdj when hunting alone he can still catch fish, . Misdirected Efforts The efforts of our acclimatisation societies are to some extent misdirected, A large proportion of angling revenu® is spent in the collection and care of trout ora ; most of the- tiny fish re> sulting are liberated as three-months-old fry. The general opinion is that oi the millions of liand-reared fry liberated annually ia New Zealand rivers, not one in a thousand survives to becomo a "takable" fish. Older trout as well as shags are very fond of a fish diet,Even when yearling trouts are liberated in Hawke's Bay rivers, most of them have been reared for the benefit of tha i'eathered fisherman who does not buy a licence. Yet it should not be difficult to exterminate this bird with the shot-gun. . A Ibounty on shags' lieads, even a£ universal througliout the country, will never he satisfactory, for one can alone might haunt a river for a week without kiiling many birds. Up to the present timo organisation in this direction has been lacking, but until the acclimatisation societies snpply thifi organisation they will continue to fight a losing battle. If all angling licenceholders were circularised, in this writer's opinion at least, 50 per cemt. would assist in the destruction of sliags. If the ranger could call on at ieast oue hundred guns for set days in August and September, he could ailot oue or two raen to every known resting place for shags througliout the district. These birds can l>e decoyecl more easily than grey ducks, and if all the. resting-places were manned on the same eveiling the execution would be great. AJl the "rookeries" or breeding grounds should be shot out every spring. . . 1£ concerted slioots of this descriptiou were arranged by the different societies, a certam amount of expense would be incurred through the cost of transport and ammunition. But in the opinion of most anglers money spent in this direction would be money well spent. WHEN THE 'FLU CETS YOU! Few can dodge the 'fiu but wben tb gets you suek Fulmonas, Tlieir curafcive vapours ease soreness and tnllammation. cJear head stuffiness and banish the 'tiu Buy a family size tin ot Pulmonas toi econoniv (juick rolnq for buskiness, sore throats, colds, bronchitis, etc All chemists and stores: l /-, 1/6 and 2/6 (fan dy size). "ONLY THING FOR PILE8." So wrote gratel'ul patient. Try Zana rieaiinept yourself. Bend niucpenc® stampB for generons samplo. Zann Ptj, 1 B05 952, H.T., Wellington. -