PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 283' 



edible value, is, I think, generally considered to be far in excess of 

 the trout, though the trout is, beyond compare, its superior as a 

 game fish. 



There will, perhaps, be some who may fear that the introduction 

 of this fish will be detrimental to the trout so firmly established in these 

 waters ; but I may say, unreservedly, that there is no real ground for 

 any fears in this direction. The mountain perch and the rainbow trout 

 occupy practically two separate spheres of activity in our streams ; 

 even if they may, perhaps, eat a few of each other when they get the 

 opportunity. That the mountain perch is not a " natural enemy '*^ 

 of the rainbow trout is amply borne witness to by the fact that the 

 latter has been able to so firmly establish itself in waters such as the 

 Upper Murrumbidgee, Umeralla, &c., in which the mountain perck 

 already naturally existed in such large numbers. 



Quite apart from any special steps that may be taken by the State 

 Fisheries Department, ha\'ing for their object the protection and coa- 

 serration of the mountain or Macquarie perch in its new surroundings, 

 it is earnestly to be hoped that, should the fish succeed, all anglers who 

 fish this river for the next few years will do their utmost to assist 

 in its acclimatisation by returning to the stream all or any fish of this 

 species which may be captured in any part of the Snowy River above- 

 the falls. There will be no excuse for any one on the plea of want of 

 knowledge, as the fish is iiothing like a trout, and no perch of any kind, 

 have ever been caught in these waters. 



II. — Introduction of Australian Bass into the Waters 



OF Fiji. 



Late in the year 1910 the Colonial Secretary of Fiji, the Honorable- 

 Eyre Hutson, C.M.G., wrote me on the question of fish acclimatisation, 

 asking, principally, for an opinion as to whether rainbow trout would 

 be likely to prosper in the rivers of Fiji. At my request a number of 

 river observations were made, and temperatures were taken ; and 

 upon receiving these I formed the opinion that, as far as they went, 

 the indications were not altogether favorable to the acclimatisation of 

 any species of trout. The main objection, of course, was that the 

 general temperature was too high. I suggested, however, that our 

 common eastern fresh-water perch — the Australian bass — seemed to 

 be the most suitable form to experiment with, as the conditions seemed 

 very favorable for the permanent acclimatisation of that fine game- 

 fish. In due course, Mr. Hutson, on behalf of the Fijian Government, 

 approached the Chief Secretary of the State of New South Wales, and 

 an arrangement was come to under which a number of the fish were 

 to be obtained by the State Fisheries Department of New South Wales 

 and forwarded to Fiji. 



On the 6th May, 1912, a consignment consisting of 135 Australian 

 bass was despatched by the s.s. Makura, in the care of an assistant.. 



