Art. XXVIII.—Note on some Sea-trout (Salmon or Salmontrout?).

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 25, 1892, Page 254

Art. XXVIII.—Note on some Sea-trout (Salmon or Salmontrout?). By F. Sandager. Communicated by G. M. Thomson, F.L.S. [Read before the Otago Institute, 12th July, 1892.] For the last three years I have observed that a species of the Salmonidœ visits the bay on the west side of Kartigi Point in considerable numbers. The fish begin to appear in November, but by the end of May most have disappeared, The rocks for some distance out are edged with seaweed, so that I have been unable to fish from the shore, and when trying to do so from the punt the fish invariably disappeared; but I have seen them sufficiently close, when at high-water they occasionally come close to the shore near a small shingly beach, to be certain that the fish belong to the salmon family. The fish seldom or never come in amongst the seaweed, but swim along its outer margin, where small fry of various fish are abundant. During the summer months dozens may be seen from the Lighthouse Reserve, swimming leisurely along, or jumping after thistle-down as it is carried over the surface of the water by a gentle breeze. The fish vary in length from about 1ft. up to close on 3ft., and the smaller fish appear the more active. During May, 1892, an immense number of Clupea sprattus, var. antipodum, were driven into Kartigi Bay, and on that date the bay along the reserve appeared quite alive with jumping Salmonidœ; but whether they were themselves pursued, or after the sprats, I cannot say. Usually the Salmonidœ do not depart far from the angle formed by Kartigi Point and the Lighthouse Reserve, where the water is nearly always smooth and small fry plentiful. The depth along the seaweed margin is between two and three fathoms, and the bottom is sandy.