DRYING STREAMS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 April 1939, Page 6

DRYING STREAMS

MANY TROUT IMPRISONED IN POOLS POSSIBihITY OF TRANSFER ELSEWHERE. POSITION BECOMING SERIOUS. Although so far no serious losses of trout, have occurred in the Wairarapa on account of the smaller streams and rivers drying up, the position is becoming serious, as the fish are being driven . into pools, where as many as 100 and 200 fish may be congregated. One Masterton resident reports having seen about a hundred Half-pound trout, up to about, a foot in length, in a single pool, and . another observer reported similarly, though in this case there were as many as 200 fish, frorh lOin to a foot in length, in one hole. Once the trout congregate in such large numbers in a single pool there is a grave danger of their starving, as the food supply is not always sufficient to sustain such an influx.

The upper reaches of the Waipoua River are now nothing but a succession of pools, and not too many of them either, while a similar state of affairs is reported on several other streams. There are said to be some thousands of yearlings in the pools of a vanishing stream in the Carterton district.

The only way to save the fish, unless rain sets in within a few days is to transfer them to running rivers, such as. the Raurriahanga, but this is a' diffU.lt task. Although to the uninitiated it may appear to be a simple process, there are in reality many difficulties. The work involves considerable organisation, and hi. the actual process of netting the mud is stirred up in the pools, and th 6 fish hidden from view. Something could be done, however, to save the larger fish. Mr E. J. C. Wiffeh, secretary of the Wellington Acclimatisation Society, has. suggested that volunteers may be able to assist, the. society in this work, though he realises that it is not ah easy task. PoacJi&rs are also at work' and there is evidence that trout are being shot One report states that two lads last weekend shot as many as 32 good-sized fish between them; while dead fish, bearing the marks of pea-rifle shots have been picked up on the rivers. It is of interest to recall that when the Waipoua River was directed into its new channel recently, ih the course of imprbvement work carried out by the Masterton Borough Council, as many as 800 trout were netted in the old river-bed, and transferred to the deviated stream. Incidentally, there is another aspect of interest in the drying up of the rivers as fdr as farmers are concerned. 1., some instances the rivers form the boundaries of properties and when the water disappears the. stock ate Hee to watider far arid wide.