A FISHY BUSINESS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 1, Issue 19, 3 November 1939, Page 33

A FISHY BUSINESS

Handy Guide For Non-Anglers (3)

(Written for "The Listener" by

Irideus

E have already in these \X/ columns discussed the fish which are the subject of 90 per cent. of the angling expeditions and angling anecdotes that form so much a part and parcel of our rough island story, but brown and rainbow trout by no means exhaust the list of our acclimatised aquatic fauna. Indeed, a glance at the history of acclimatisation in New Zealand suggests that the provision of bigger and better fish for anglers to lose was for some decades a guiding principle of the Department of Internal Affairs and a consummation devoutly wished by acclimatisation societies throughout the length and breadth of the land. Trout were not enough, and we find, therefore, that at an early date attempts were made to introduce salmon. Atlantic Salmon The story of Atlantic salmon in New Zealand is the tale of the most notable failure in acclimatisation we have on record, so it need not be laboured, To be brief, the Atlantic salmon did not Play the Game. Established in certain rivers of the Te Anau system in Southland, it has, instead of growing bigger and bigger with the passing of years and more stringent regulations protecting it, steadily grown smaller and smaller until now it has almost reached vanishing point. As a possible subject for piscatorial anecdote, it is worse than useless. Pacific, or Quinnat Salmon More robust is the Pacific, or Quinnat Salmon, and doubtless ‘more familiar to readers who will recollect that it co-starred with Dorothy Lamour in "Spawn of the North." Like the Atlantic salmon, and the trout, the quinnat got into New Zealand before the immigration regulations were tightened up and has since got a firm footing in the larger Canterbury rivers, most grocery shops and (in season) all -quality fishmongers. Originally the quinnat came from Canadian waters, and there is a considerable body of angling opinion which believes he ought to have remained there. This antagonism derives mainly from

the fact that the quinnat, like the estuarine trout (see supra), goes to sea while still below the legal limit size and does not return till the season is almost over. More, it has now definitely been established that the quinnat does not feed in fresh water at all, and is therefore hardly ever caught (legally). Add to these considerations the belief of many anglers that the promiscuous spawning habits of the salmon _ seriously endanger the racial purity of the trout and you have a brief, if goebbled, explanation of the antagonism aforementioned. Methods of Capture: Methods of capturing quinnat salmon vary with the localities in which he is sought. Most anglers favour the mouths of the larger Canterbury rivers, where the commercial fishermen operate, as. being the most economical locality. That this is sound reasoning may be appreciated when it is realised that while salmon costs about 2/- a pound in te fishmonger’s, it can be anything from £10/10/- per Ib. upward, caught on rod and line. Another method favoured by some anglers is to visit the upper reaches of the same rivers and camp near the confluence of such small streams as may be used by the salmon for spawning. In short, where creek meets creek. It is then a matter of waiting until the salmon begin to struggle up through the thinner water. An artificial minnow, rather like a small Whitehead torpedo for size and armament, is then thrown across the salmon’s bows and the unfortunate fish dragged on to the bank by what Mr. Roosevelt would properly describe as "force majeure," Fortunately for other salmon, immemorial tradition decrees that such a capture must at once be celebrated in whisky. It follows, therefore, that the bag rarely, if ever, exceeds one fish per diem. The whisky is also useful in warding off chills which are caught more frequently than salmon, since such expeditions are usually staged in the autumn. Quinnat fishing is, indeed, admirably epitomised in the family motto of my old friend Lieut.-Colonel Gaffem (Ret’d.): "Per ardua ad aspirin." Nomenclature: The quinnat shares with both species of trout a wide variety of by-names. The fact, however, that it habitually assumes a ruddy colouration when it enters fresh water is possibly the reason why the quinnat is usually distinguished by a series of epithets "which conjure up visions of a perpetual shambles," if we may use Mr Gilly Potter’s phrase. The salmon is also known by various names at various stages of its growth. The young are known as parr, for example, and immature adolescent fish as smolts or grilse. Salmon of all species are prolific breeders, whence the proverb, "It’s a wise salmon that knows its own parr." (To be continued)