TROUT FRY.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 September 1920, Page 4

TROUT FRY.

A SUPPLY FOR TARANAKI. FIRST INSTALMENT LIBERATED. Trout fry numbering about 30,000, the first instalment of 100,000 for Taranaki, reached New Plymouth on Saturday night, and were, /liberated yesterday.' The offer to supply 100,00'o trout fry was made to the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society by the Department of Internal Affairs last year, but transport difficulties then precluded the acceptance of the offer. Early this year negotiations were reopened! and advice was received from the Department that the offer of fry was still open. The matter of transport, however, was still a serious difficulty; but through the good offices of Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., the department, recognising the society's position, eventually agreed to distribute the supply over two or three years, and has also agreed to send an expert from the Rotorua hatcheries in charge of the fish. On receipt of the telegram that the fry were being forwarded, the president, Mr. G. Crover, and members of the Taranaki Acclimatisation Society's council were in a quandary as to what to do with it, as the fish ponds in Pukekura Park are not yet ready. However, Mr. firover, with the assistance of Mr. Bell, of Fitzroy, solved the problem by erecting a couple of holding troughs, with a good flow of water running through, and when the fry came to hand by Saturday's mail train, in charge of Mr. Haywood, curator of the Rotorua hatcheries, they were removed to the temporary troughs. It was found that the fry were all rainbow trout and were secured from particularly lusty parent fish from tiie Blue Lake, nearßotorua.Despite the lengthy train journey, the fish arrived in splendid order, mortality being light. Yesterday the bulk of the fry were liberated, 15,000 going' to the" Stony River, Okato, and 12,000 to the Oknihu River, near Rahotu. Messrs Grover, Bamsey, Douche, and Guthrie, council members, assisted by Mr. Bell and Mr. Haywood, were responsible for the work of distribution, and are deserving of the best thanks of all anglers for their sportsmanlike action. , Great care was exercised in liberation, to distribute the fry over a largo area of each river, and now that the winter 1100/U are over, the young fwh should do exceptionally well in Taranaki waters. The balance'of the fry are being held by the society, and will shortly be put' into the holding ponds at Pukekura Park. Anglers who assisted in the work of liberation yesterday state that quite a large number of good fish were seen in the Stony and Okaihu streams. This will be gooil news for anglers generally, who are anxiously waiting October 1, the opening of the fishing season.