200 FISHES 



societies or the Government. The Government now took the matter 

 in hand themselves as far as importation was concerned, and prepared 

 for shipments on a larger scale, utilising the societies for the hatching 

 of the ova and the distribution with the colony. In January, 1886, 

 the Agent-General shipped over 200,000 ova (most of which came 

 from the River Tay) by the ' Ionic,' which arrived in Wellington on 

 2ist March, and they were distributed to the various societies on 

 the following day. I have been able to follow up those sent to the 

 Wellington, Nelson, North Canterbury, Otago, Southland, and Lakes 

 Societies. The Wellington Society received one box, from which 

 about 8000 fry hatched out. These were liberated in the Hutt and 

 Manawatu Rivers, and a small lot in the Ruamahanga. The Nelson 

 Society hatched out approximately 12,000 fry, but I do not know 

 the subsequent history of this lot. The Canterbury Society received 

 four boxes with approximately 22,000 eggs in each. In one box 

 which was outside the cold chamber, all the eggs were dead. From 

 the others about 41,000 fry, many of them rather small, were hatched 

 out. At the end of the first month there were 37,000, but at the end 

 of the second only 11,000 were left alive. Of these 4000 were sent 

 to the Waitaki Society, 1500 to South Canterbury, 1500 to Geraldine, 

 1000 to the Taranaki Society, 1000 to the Hawera Society, and 300 

 were placed in the Selwyn River. 



During this year reliable reports were received of young salmon 

 having been repeatedly seen in the Opihi, and some that had been 

 accidently taken measured from 9 to 12 inches in length. The 

 Society kept a considerable number in their ponds, but in May a 

 flood washed 400 parr into the Avon, where they appeared to be doing 

 well. 



The Otago Society got 12,000 fry from their consignment, of 

 which number they liberated 9000, presumably in the Waiwera. 



The Southland Society hatched out over 12,600 fry, of which a 

 little over 9000 were alive in June. In July 5500 were turned into 

 the Aparima, while owing to a sudden melting of snow over 3000 

 more escaped into the river. 



The Lakes Society hatched out about 14,000 fry which were 

 liberated in Lake Wakatipu. 



In 1887 three large shipments of ova arrived in Wellington. The 

 'Kaikoura' with 160,000 from the Tay, Forth and Tweed, and the 

 'Doric* with 330,000 from the same rivers arrived in January, and 

 the 'Tongariro' in February with 120,000 ova from the Tweed, and 

 100,000 from the Rhine. 



(a) Of the 'Kaikoura' shipment, 120,000 went to the Clinton 

 Hatchery (Otago), and 40,000 to Southland. Of the six boxes which 



