Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1917. WHITEBAIT ARE NOT SMELT.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 1741, 16 October 1917, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 1917. WHITEBAIT ARE NOT SMELT.

IN' a recent issue we published a paragraph to the effect that it had been proved by a southern gentleman that the little river fish known as whitebait are smelt. Several local people agreed with this view, but without giving further reason than that smelts were often included with whitebait in the net, and were looked upon as the whitebait’s big brother. Anyhow, Mr T. W. Downs, of Wanganui, does not agree that whitebait are smelt. Writing to our Wanganui evening contemporary, Mr Downs says: “Every person who have observed our fresh water fish at all knows perfectly well that the whitebait (inanga of the Maori) and smelt (Titihimi) are different species, being quite distinct in appearance, size and habits. The smelt is very timid, a strong swimmer, taking deeper water than the whitebait, and is more numerous, going up in countless numbers in almost a continuous stream, while whitebait move along Avhen the water is at all swift within a few" inches of the shore. The little fish are in mortal dread of the smelt, and a shoal is scattered in all directions when one of the latter approach. According to J. Hector, the smelt is known under the scientific name Retropinna, and the whitebait Galazias Attenuate. I have seen both fish taken by the natives in the autumn when they are travelling down stream to spawn. The whitebait is still distinguishable with the hair-like line down the side and having increased only slightly in size. The smelt has in the same time grown into quite a respectable fish some six to eight inches in length, easily distinguishable by Us jrridescent colourings, large size and peculiar smell. In valume 35 of the Transactions of the New Zealand Institute experiments are recorded by Mr A. J. McKenzie, curator of the Kanieri Lake fish hatchery, Westland, who managed to keep whitebait alive in artificial ponds until they were full of ova. In the course of his paper he says: “Of course whitebait should not be confused with the young smelt, a native fish that much resembles whitebait, but grows considerably larger.” In another paper

read before the Wellington Society, Mr E. G. Gibeon says that he successfully reared the little fish continuously for three seasons by changing their water from fresh to salt, and from salt to fresh, according to the spring and autumn migrations of the fish. No alteration except a slight increase in size is recorded.”