Commercial Asset.

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1922, Page 3

Commercial Asset.

ACTIVITIES OF FISHERIES DEPARTMENT. WELLINGTON. Aug. 27. “The increase of quinnat salmon in the South Island sens and rivers has I cen so rapid in recent years that the Marin:* Department lias decided that the time lias arrived when the fish may he nut to commercial use,” stated the ; Chief fnspecor of Fisheries (Mr I'. L. j Ay son) yesterday. Arrangements were) being made to catch quinnat at sea on j a large scale (luring the coming season. [

The intention was to fit up a vessel j with trolling gear, similar to that used on the Pacific coast of America, where) immense quantities of quinnat were, caught annually in the coastal seas, i The experiment hv the Departmentwas intended as a demonstration to i fishermen of the methods employed ill salmon fishing, and it was hoped t < eateli sufficient quantities to encourage private enterprise to enter this branen of the fishing industry. Trolling was, really the term applied to fishing with ;

spinning bait. Netting was not. pracnblc in most of the rapid rivers ol ! Canterbury and North Otago, opposite whose shores tile experiment would he 1 undertaken, but the fish was now lie- i coming established in some rivers with tidal mouths, where netting was l*os- i

si tile. The Canterbury rivers, and j>ar- j tieularlv the Rangita'ta and the Wai- j taki. were literally packed with tens of thousands of quinnat. Last season said Mr Ayson, when netting tile fish ; in the upper reaches of the Waitaki : for spawning purposes, the officials ol

the Marine Department last year took large, numbers which averaged -01 >, with main- turning the scales up to j 301t> and 4011), and several at well over , 501 b From some of the larger females as liiiuiv as 10,000 to 12,000 eggs wore stripped, a figure that was equal to the. j idlest recorded of the American quinnat. ’Phis was proof of the prosperity of the fish in their new habitat. The Atlantic salmon had at length liocnui to show UJ) ill the Wninu river (Southland). Quite a number had been identified in the Upokororo tributary, near Lake Te Anau. This stream was heavily stocked with Atlantic salmon fry bv the Marine Department in 1909 1910 ‘ and 1911. The best authorities ii', the Old World agreed that the Atlantic salmon had the parent river or roaming instinct highly developed, and the appearance of the fish after a decade in this stream pointed to the fact that systematic and vigorous efforts on the part of the Department were at last bearing fruit.