H—22

A total of 1,010,000 brown-trout ova were collected and disposed of as follows : (1) 500,000 to the Wellington Acclimatization Society. (2) 120,000 to the Department's Rotorua Acclimatization District. (3) 150,000 were taken to Lake Te Anau and hatched there. (4) 240,000 were hatched at Lake Hayes, from which 187,000 fry were liberated. From the Department's hatcheries in the Rotorua and Taupo districts a total of 3,015,000 ova were received, and these were distributed as follows : —- (1) Te Anau Hatchery .. .. .. .. 810,000 (2) Queenstown Hatchery .. .. .. .. 705,000 (3) Wanaka Hatchery .. .. .. .. 1,500,000 In addition to the above, a further 15,000 brown-trout ova were collected from Glendhu Creek, Lake Wanaka, and hatched in the Wanaka hatchery. (c) Re-stocking of Waters. —Liberations of fry were made as follows

In nearly all the streams in which liberations were made, young fish in good condition are to be seen. (d) Destruction of Shags. —Three hundred and twenty-five black shags and 72 eggs were destroyed by departmental officers, and 18 heads of these birds were presented by private persons for payment of the bounty. (e) Destruction of Eels. —Eel-trapping was continued during the season and a total of 5,067 eels were caught. Again most of these were caught in the Lakes Wakatipu, Wanaka, and Hawea systems. Poor results were obtained in the Lake Te Anau system. (/) Ranging. —No breaches of the Fisheries Act, 1908 (Part II), and the Fresh-water Fisheries (Southern Lakes) Regulations 1945 were detected. (3) Animals Protection and Game Act (a) The Shooting Season, 1947. —The open season commenced in fine weather. Paradise and grey duck were plentiful over most parts of the district, but very few birds were shot after the opening day owing to the large expanses of water to which they migrate and remain in safety by day. Quail were not numerous, but owing to a good spring they have increased and more birds have been seen this year than for many years past. Chukor are scattered over the whole district with the exception of the Te Anau area.

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Waters. Rainbow. Brown. 1 Totals. Lake Hawea system 282,000 1 282,000 Lake Wanaka system 427,000 15,000 442,000 Lake Wakatipu system 563,000 563,000 Lake Te Anau system 555,000 30,000 585,000 Lake Manapouri system 95,000 95,000 Kawarau River system 105,000 50,000 155,000 Small lakes 15,000 37,000 52,000 South Westland - Hollyford Rivers systems 95,000 95,000 Lake Hayes 100,000 100,000 Clutha River system 441,000 441,000 Totals 2,483,000 327,000 2,810,000