eT OE eT IE eT a eee Rete 
Artuur.—On Fish Culture in New Zealand. 185 
‘The fish placed in these ponds in 1877 have done well, and are now 
large enough for giving ova, of which we hope to get a plentiful supply this 
winter. 
‘With the exception of 800 fish received from Christchurch, we, are 
indebted to Otago for the whole of our trout. The trout placed in the 
Ngaruroro river have done well, and large fish have occasionally been seen. 
In the other streams they have not been observed as yet, as the Marae- 
totara, Tukituki, Mangaone, Korokipo, Porongahau, Pakowhai, Mahara- 
kiki, Maraekakaho, Upper Rangitikei, etc. 
‘The rivers in which the salmon were placed are many hundreds of miles 
in length, and all take their rise in a wooded, broken, uninhabited country. 
It is therefore scarcely a matter for surprise that no fish have been seen up 
to this time.* 
‘‘The attempt to import whitefish last year was not successful. We were 
informed from Wellington that, as the ova would hatch immediately on 
arrival, it would not be necessary to incur the expense of making the patent 
boxes advised by the American Government. The ova were consequently 
placed in the ordinary hatching trays used for trout. The fish began to come 
out a few hours after arrival, but did not live longer than from twenty-four 
to thirty-six hours. We removed numbers of the young fish to a box fed 
directly from the well, but with no good result, as they died just in the same 
Way as those in the race. As an experiment, I removed the last dozen eggs 
left in the trays to a box fed from the well, in imitation of the American 
plan. These all hatched, and were observed in the box for twelve days 
after, but, unfortunately, owing to a defect in the arrangements, which were 
hastily made, the young fish then escaped into the trout pond, and were 
Probably eaten by trout. The conclusions I have drawn from the above 
facts are:—That the fish died from fungus, and not from the temperature of 
the water, which was 54 degrees. That an attempt to hatch either trout or 
salmon ova in the same way in the month of January, would have been 
attended with equally fatal results from the cause above-named. That our 
climate and waters may be too warm for the successful production of white- 
fish, but that it yet remains to be proved. 
“‘ Enelosed you will find a statement of the fish distributed, and of the 
rivers in which they have been placed.” (See appendix.) ‘Carp are plentiful 
in Some of our lakes, but I have not considered them worthy of mention." 
Wanganui Acclimatization Society. 
The operations of this society in fish-culture, will also be best recorded 
in Mr. Brewer's, the secretary's, own words. Writing to me in May, 1880, 
Peso tions first successful consignment of brown trout arrived here 
* These rivers are Ngaruroro, Mangaone, Mohaka, Tukituki, Waipawa, Manawatu. 
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