972 



BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES. 



than one-half per cent, i. e., 99^^ per cent of good eggs were unpacked into the 

 hatching boxes at Hakataramea. The total number of eggs in the five shipments 

 reached about 2,000,000, and from these fully 1,700,000 young fish have been 

 turned out. They were planted at various ages from fry to 2-year-old fish, but 

 about 90 per cent were planted just after the sac was absorbed. 



Now, as regards the definite results obtained from the young salmon planted. 

 In 1 905 salmon were reported as having been caught by anglers in the tideway 

 near the mouth of the Waitaki River, and a specimen of these fish was identified 

 by the late Sir James Hector as a male of the genus Oncorhynchus. In May and 

 June, 1906, salmon were found spawning in the Hakataramea River, and speci- 

 mens were identified by Sir James Hector and myself as chinook. In April 

 and May last year (1907) quite a run of salmon came up the Waitaki River 

 and spawned in several of its main tributary rivers. In the Hakataramea from 

 300 t6 400 salmon spawned in the 2 miles of river before it joins the Waitaki, 

 and a number of these fish were caught and stripped and about 30,000 eggs put 

 down to hatch. The eggs hatched out well, and a number of the young fish are 

 now being reared at the salmon station for experimental purposes. This season 

 the run of spawning salmon in the Waitaki is similar to last year as to quantity, 

 but on an average the fish are considerably heavier, and they seem to have run 

 higher up the main tributary rivers of the Waitaki. Several dead and "spent " 

 fish measured from 3 feet to 3 feet 10 inches in length. Owing to floods when 

 the best run was on, we were able to collect only about 50,000 eggs this season. 

 From the knowledge now acquired with regard to the run of fish in rivers farther 

 inland, arrangements will be made to collect eggs on several streams next season. 

 A point which will be interesting to salmon authorities is that as far as we have 

 gone we have had no "summer" run of salmon; they have always come in 

 April, May, and June — months which correspond, as regards season, with 

 November, December, and January in the northern hemisphere, and the months 

 when the "winter" run of chinook salmon takes place in the Sacramento. 

 Now, I understand that the five shipments of eggs imported to this country 

 from 1900 to 1907 were all from "winter" run fish, and so far we have only had 

 a "winter" run of spawning salmon here. 



Sockeye salmon. — Only one importation of sockeye eggs was made to this 

 country. A shipment 'of 300,000 was presented to the New Zealand govern- 

 ment by the Canadian fisheries department in 1902. Most of the young fish 

 were planted in streams flowing into Lake Ohau, a lake fed by rivers flowing 

 down from the snowy Southern Alp Range. In 1905 and 1906 reports were 

 received of salmon spawning in the rivers at the head of Lake Ohau, but we 

 were not able to procure specimens until the "run" which took place in April 

 last year. 



