Sport In New Zealand.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 203, 31 August 1904, Page 4

Sport In New Zealand.

The matter of spoit in New Zealand rcct'nes conaHleraulu attention m ihit years report of tho Tourist liepartment. "The systematic re.siocKing of our trout su'eauis," says ' the iieud of tine department, "and wither piovision of nig game, is a work wnicn is only second in 'importance lo tut' conservation of our maguUmem natuiai scenery and thermal wonders, m regard 10 trout lishing, eaie must Iv taken not to unduly ue(jletu the supply. Many anglers fail lo exercise any moderation or forueururice in then- lishing. Without laying down arbitrary rules on the suujcct, sportsmen may be reminded that the useless destruction of iish is opposed to all the instincts of line sport, and they should place a reasonable limit on their catches. A somewhat similar remark may be applied to wild duck shooting. Enormous "luags are. reported to have been maue by individual sportsmen on such a favourite shooting ground us Lake EHesmere. Much of the shooting done in for the market, and it appears dcsiira'ble that there should be some restriction, in order to prevent such wholeaalo slaughter as now takes place on certain shooting grounds every season. Some more systematic method is also gieally needed to prevent, poaching. The dates for the opening and closing of the fishing seasons require amunling. The season, especially in the northern districts), oipitis too early and closes too late. At Kotorua the lish have not ceased spawning on October Ist, and they have commenced again before the season has closed. The season in this distiiict should certainly not open before Jiovember Ist, and should close on March 31st. The trout fishing at Kotorua has .been particularly good during the season. A register was kept showing the catches mails in Kotorua Lake and adjacent waters. At the close of. the season the record showed that 6952 trout had been caught, aggregating! & weight of 13 tons 13cwt 3yr 21JH). Amongst the fis'.i taken were many weighing 121b, to 181b. Enormous as the registered catch was, it is considered that probably a third more was actually taken, as many fishermen failed to supply the required particulars. The .matter of introducing more varieties of game suitable for rugged and non-settled regions is receiving attention. Several valuable g|ifts of sport aniin n ls have 'been received. Recently (iva that', or Caucasian mountain gouts, presented by the Duke of Hedford, arrived from London. Six goats wero originally shipped, but one was lost overboard. The thar are now on Somes' Island, and it is proposed to liberate them in tho oarly spring in some mountainous country not yet definitely decided on. These animals are similar in their habits to tho Spanish wild goat. Their most distinctive feature is the horns. A number of Wapiti, tho largo Northern American deer, havo been presented to the colony by President Roosevelt. When these animals have increased in sufliicient numbers they will provido excellent sport both for our ow n people and for visitors) from abroad."