AMERICAN FISHES IN NEW ZEALAND. 973 



The officer who visited the locahty reported having seen a large number of 

 dead salmon. He netted a number of fish and brought six specimens, the 

 examination of which by experts proved them to be sockeye. 



White fish. — The first shipment of eggs was brought from America in 1877, 

 and from that year to 1904 several shipments were brought over. Owing to the 

 want of expert attention on the voyage, these shipments generally arrived in 

 indifferent condition, and as none of the hatcheries had proper appliances for 

 hatching the eggs I am afraid that most of them were killed. In 1904 the New 

 Zealand government determined to make a systematic effort to accHmatize this 

 fish and erected hatcheries, equipped with the proper whitefish hatching jars, 

 on Lakes Te Kapo and Kanieri. Four shipments of eggs were brought over 

 from 1904 to 1907, and as they were carefully packed and selected for the journey 

 and came over in charge of an expert they all arrived in perfect condition. The 

 loss from the time they left the hatchery at Northville, Mich., until put in jars 

 in the hatcheries in New Zealand was under 3 per cent. The total number of 

 eggs in these four shipments was about 6,000,000. The voung fish were all 

 planted in the lakes as soon as the sac was absorbed. As there is no netting for 

 fish in these lakes no reliable information has yet come to hand as to whether 

 they have done well or not, but we intend to net them early in the summer this 

 year, for the purpose of proving whether or not they have taken a hold there. 



Landlocked salmon. — One shipment of the eggs of these fish was brought 

 to this country in 1906 and arrived in good condition. A number of the young 

 fish have been planted in one of our lakes, and some are now being reared at 

 two hatcheries for the purpose of procuring eggs from them when they mature. 

 There is little doubt but what a good many of our lakes should be suitable for 

 this fish. 



Mackinaw trout. — A shipment of Mackinaw eggs was brought over from 

 America in 1906 and they hatched out well. The young fish were planted in 

 lakes in Canterbury and the west coast of the South Island. 



Catfish. — A number of these fish were brought over from America by 

 Mr. T. Russell, of Auckland, in 1877. They were placed in St. Johns Lake and 

 are reported as being numerous in that lake at the present time. 



The value of the introduction of these foreign fresh-water fishes into New 

 Zealand waters can not be estimated. Formerly it was a country whose rivers 

 and lakes were devoid of fresh-water fish of any value, now they are teeming 

 with fish of the finest quality for sport and food. All this has been attained 

 partly by the perseverance of our own people and by the generous assistance 

 given to our Government by the United States Bureau of Fisheries and its 

 officers in supplying any fish eggs required. 



