ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 May 1916, Page 2

ACCLIMATISATION SOCIETY.

ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society is as follows: The society is to be congratulated on the success attained in hatching and rearing considerable numbers of both rainbow and brown trout. During the season 275,000 fry ova were handled by the curator. The majority have been liberated in the various streams round about the district, but a balance of 9000 rainbow and 4000 browns are still at the hatchery and will be liberated in I the spring as yearlings. Unfortunately the extremely hot weather experienced in December last caused a rather high mortality and a considerable number of the young fish died. As regards the rearing of game, this bas again proved a failure. In several instances good hatchings from, the eggs supplied were recorded, but the majority of. the young birds. only lived for a short time. The best results were obtained by Mr. Henry Weston, out of a hatching of fifteen chicks he having managed ti> raise seven fine healthy birds. .''".■■

' From the statement of accounts- which will be laid before you, it will be found that the total receipts are £194 14a 3d, made up as follows:—Shooting licenses £97 10s, Ashing licenses £35 2s 6d, subscriptions and sundries £5 15s, sale of yearlings £23 10s 6d. With the balance brought forward from ißst year ( £3B the. amount we have had to work on totals* £233 12s 4d. _ Fishing licence fees look small, but the' explariatioii f of ■this- is the fact that several of bur agents neglected to forward amounts in iand prior to the Slsfof last .'month, ,the dosing date of our .financial year. ■ Since'thi&s date £3O lfis ;has come .to, Ivfc.nd, an'd_ there is still an amount outthe total his not yet '. been advised,- The expenditure "has 'been,. £207-195,. S*, leaving a balance in th'e> ' bank 0f'.£25.12s lid. This sum, with £3OUSs license fees received since th« 30th'ult., gives a, balance of £SB 7s lid. l •The liabilities were £67 10s. 1 Our meeting is rather late this year, owing kp the secretary endeavoring' to collect all outstanding moneys, in order to place the real state of the society before, you. * On this account some idea of hW the present season's shooting license fees are coming in has be,tn obtained. Up to date £7O has been received. Shooting without a license is rampant in the district at present, and the native pigeons, although protected, aTe being slaughtered in large numbers. Strong measures of some sort will have to be taken to suppress this sort of thing.' Game is reported to be very scarce this season, and there is no doubt that illicit shooting is largely responsible for this state of affairs. The fishing season was n fairly successful one, and some good bags were obtained. The streams in the vicinity of Opunake are \ery fully stocked ,wth brown trout, and the Stony River is full of rainbow trout, where they seem to have firmly established themselves. The Waiwaka'iho proved disappointing, and although the stream has been heavily stqeked during .the la=t two or three Vears with 4>oth fry and yearlings, le'sults have not come up to expectations. A number of anglers are beginning to question the advisability of continuing to stock it with rainbow, and are of opinion it would be better to deyote more attention to stocking it with brownß. It is a matter for regret' continual reports of the dynamiting of many |of our streams seems to be growing in practice, and the rivers in the Inglewood district have been getting a full share of attention. It is also evident from ecent eventß that the coastal stießms are being depleted in the same manner. The thanks of the society are again due to our curator, Mr. Scale, for the care and attention displayed at Lhe hatchery and the successful liberations of fry and yearlings.